Paris, 3 March 2011, Art Media Agency (AMA).
A famous painting by Lucas Cranach, The Three Graces, has just been bought by the French State with the backing of a private donation. It will be exhibited in a special room until 30 May 2011. The painting was unveiled on 1 March by Minister of Culture Frédéric Mittérand and join the Peintures des Écoles du Nord section of the Louvre’s permanent collections.
The Louvre bought the work from a private collector for 4 M€. Two patron companies helped finance the purchase. On 13 November, the museum launched a donation appeal in order to collect one million Euro. In less than a month, 7000 benefactors set about raising the money. Their names will be mentioned next to the painting.
The Three Graces had never been exhibited publicly before. It was classified as a “national treasure” after the Ministry of Culture refused to let it be exported it in 2009.
This small oil canvas from 1531 is a key piece by German Renaissance master Lucas Cranach. It was commissioned by a private collector and will now be exhibited alongside three other portraits by the painter, Jean-Frédéric le Magnanime, Portrait d’un seigneur de Köckeritz and Portrait présumé de Magdalena Luther.