The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth bought “Basket of Wild Strawberries” by 18th-century French painter Jean Simeon Chardin at an auction in Paris in March for more than $22 million.
The painting at the center of the international artistic dispute in which Fort Worth is embroiled features a mountain of strawberries in a wicker basket flanked by a glass of water, a peach, two white carnations and two cherries.
fort worth The Kimbell Art Museum has purchased “Wild Strawberry Basket” by the 18th century French painter Jean Simstaron Chardin at an auction in Paris in March for more than $22 million, The New York Times reported earlier this week.
At the Kimbell, the painting “would be in perfect harmony with the privacy, serenity and timelessness of the architecture,” the museum said in a statement.
If the Louvre is successful, however, the painting will not go to Texas.
After the purchase, the Louvre requested that the painting be classified as a “national treasure”. As a result, the export has been frozen for 30 months while the museum seeks sponsors to purchase the painting.
The dispute is unfolding as the Louvre continues to struggle to recoup financial losses suffered during the coronavirus pandemic. Museum attendance across France has plummeted 72% in 2020 and 62% in 2021, according to the London and New York-based Art Newspaper.
The Kimbell said it respects the French government’s decision to freeze the export, “Nevertheless, we hope in the long term to be able to exhibit this marvelous painting at the Kimbell, where it would be a formidable ambassador of French culture.
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