The Flight into Egypt
Nicolas Poussin
Nicolas Poussin was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for a small group of Italian and French collectors.
Max Resolution:1492×1088 PX
Title:The Flight into Egypt
Artists:Nicolas Poussin
Date:1657
Style:Classicism
Genre:religious painting
Medium:oil,canvas
Location:Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Lyon, France
Dimensions:97×133 cm
Copyright:Public domain
The Flight into Egypt is a painting by Nicolas Poussin painted in 1657 or 1658. It was originally kept in the Musée du Louvre, then was transferred to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon.
The painting was probably inspired by a painting on the same theme by Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carracci.
This painting appeared in an auction in Versailles in 1986 with 80,000 francs as initial price. It was bought by Richard and Robert Pardo for 1,600,000 francs. Exhibited in the gallery, it was later recognized as an authentic work of the artist. Then there was a lengthy trial whose outcome was unfavorable to Pardo : the final decision was to re-give the painting to the seller. The owner then wanted to sell this work for more than 15 million euros. The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon then began to collect the money to acquire it.
In July 2007, the Louvre and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon were finally able to raise the funds necessary to purchase the painting. It would one of the most expensive work ever collected by the patronage, with a cost of 17 million euros (1 million provided by the Mayor of Lyon, 250,000 by the Rhône-Alpes region, 1 million by the Musée du Louvre with its own funds, and over 18 patrons such as Gaz de France which gave 3 million euros, Total SA, AXA, businesses and banks of Lyon and a private donor). The work was acquired for the Louvre and was transferred in February 2008 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, the hometown of Jacques Sérisier, who was the first collector of the painting and who was probably its sponsor.
The painting was probably inspired by a painting on the same theme by Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carracci.
This painting appeared in an auction in Versailles in 1986 with 80,000 francs as initial price. It was bought by Richard and Robert Pardo for 1,600,000 francs. Exhibited in the gallery, it was later recognized as an authentic work of the artist. Then there was a lengthy trial whose outcome was unfavorable to Pardo : the final decision was to re-give the painting to the seller. The owner then wanted to sell this work for more than 15 million euros. The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon then began to collect the money to acquire it.
In July 2007, the Louvre and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon were finally able to raise the funds necessary to purchase the painting. It would one of the most expensive work ever collected by the patronage, with a cost of 17 million euros (1 million provided by the Mayor of Lyon, 250,000 by the Rhône-Alpes region, 1 million by the Musée du Louvre with its own funds, and over 18 patrons such as Gaz de France which gave 3 million euros, Total SA, AXA, businesses and banks of Lyon and a private donor). The work was acquired for the Louvre and was transferred in February 2008 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, the hometown of Jacques Sérisier, who was the first collector of the painting and who was probably its sponsor.