A multimillion pound art masterpiece will be the star of Aberdeen’s revamped art gallery in a move to make the city a “cultural capital”.
Francis Bacon’s Study after Pope Innocent X by Velazquez was painted in 1953, and gifted to Aberdeen Art Gallery by the Art Society of London three years later.
The painting, measuring more than four feet in height, could be worth more than £30million if it was auctioned according to council sources.
The piece, currently residing in the Sainsbury’s Centre in Norwich, is being moved to the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and is then expected to appear in the new gallery in Aberdeen.
It has a long exhibition history at major galleries all over the world including the Tate Gallery in London, Milan’s Palazzo Reale and Tokyo’s Museum Of Modern Art.
Bacon is considered to be one of the most important figurative painters of the 20th century.
Pope I was the first painting in a series of three.
Deputy council leader Marie Boulton, whose brief also covers culture in the city, said the masterpiece could prove a “major draw” for art lovers coming to the city.
She said: “With paintings like Bacon’s Study after Pope Innocent X by Velazquez, Aberdeen is punching well above its weight and it will surely draw art lovers from all over the world.
“We hope paintings like Study after Pope will inspire the public to join our fundraising campaign and contribute to our future as a centre of culture for future generations.”
Gallery trustee member, Marie Lanaghan, said: “If you consider how the purchase of one incredible work of art can transform the creative ambitions of one city, then you only have to look as far as Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John on the Cross in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
“Bilbao was also transformed from an industrial wasteland to a cultural capital when it brought in ‘st-architect’ Frank Gehry to create a ground-breaking titanium structure for its own Guggenheim museum.
“So, all the evidence shows that beautiful art, and culture more generally, has the power to change a city for the better.”
Fundraising for the redevelopment is ongoing with £20million already raised and £10million left to go.
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