Gainsborough’s ‘Blue Boy’ returns to UK for the first time in a century – ARTnews.com

Thomas Gainsborough’s masterpiece The blue boy (ca. 1770) left the United Kingdom on January 25, 1922. Exactly a century later, the painting will make a big comeback.

On January 25, 2022, the painting will be exhibited at the National Gallery in London, in Trafalgar Square, not far from where it was exhibited 100 years earlier. In the years that followed, the work resided in San Marino, California, where it is currently on display by its current owner, the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens.

At the National Gallery, The blue boy will be on display near a group of paintings by 17th century Flemish artist Anthony Van Dyck, in an attempt to map this artist’s influence on Gainsborough, who was active in the second half of the 18th centuryYes. It will remain on view in London until May 15. Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, called the loan “truly exceptional” in a statement.

When The blue boy was sold to American Railroad Baron Henry Edwards Huntington in 1922, there was a massive uproar in Britain – many believed the country had lost a national treasure. The painting sold for $ 778,000 (or roughly $ 9.29 million today), making it the most expensive piece of art ever sold at the time. Joseph Duveen, who organized the auction in Huntington, has since gone down in history as one of the greatest art dealers of all time. Some 90,000 people came to say goodbye to the painting during the last three weeks of its public exhibition in London.

The blue boy is one of the greatest works of 18th century British art. Gainsborough painted it in response to rival Sir Joshua Reynolds’ belief that cool colors should only be used to support warm colors. The painting became an instant hit, and to this day it remains famous.

Karen R. Lawrence, President of The Huntington, said in a statement: “Given The blue boy Iconic status at The Huntington, this is an unprecedented loan, which we have looked at very carefully. We hope that this partnership with the National Gallery will spark new conversations, appreciation and research on both sides of the Atlantic. ”

This is the first time the piece has been on loan, and the work, the cornerstone of the Huntington Collection, is unlikely to travel again anytime soon.