26/6/23 - Acquisitions - Douai, Langres, Montpellier, Orléans and Soissons - When we talk about fundraising, whether from the individuals or just for companies, we often talk in detail about the work in question, which makes it more difficult to write a new article to report on its definitive acquisition by the museum. In most cases, however, these fundraisings are successful, and when they are not, the museum rarely fails to make up for it. For this reason, we sometimes bring together in a single "acquisition news item" several museum enrichments that we have already mentioned in connection with the launch of sponsorship campaigns.
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- 1. Atelier de Gabriel-François Doyen (1726-1806)
The Miracle of The Fervent
Oil on canvas - 39 x 23.5 cm
Langres, Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot
Photo: Galerie Jacques Leegenhoek - See the image in its page
Even when an operation fails to achieve its goal, it is extremely rare for the work not to enter the museum all the same. The Langres museum had thus launched an appeal for donations to purchase an attractive sketch from the studio of Gabriel François Doyen (ill. 1) to add to its collection of works related to Diderot (see news item of 24/4/23). As the €13,000 was not reached, the fundraising was cancelled, but a new financial arrangement was put in place thanks to the understanding of the gallery owner (Jacques Leegenhoek), who agreed to further reduce the price, and to donations from three associations [1] which had already participated in the fundraising. Funding from the City of Langres completed the budget, and the work was finally acquired and can now be displayed in the Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot.
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- 2. Julie Duvidal de Montferrier (1797-1865)
Bacchus as a child, 1822
Oil on canvas - 61 x 50 cm
Orléans, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Photo: Galerie Talabardon & Gautier - See the image in its page
The fundraising launched by the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans to purchase a painting by Julie Duvidal de Montferrier (ill. 2) from the Talabardon & Gautier gallery (see the news item of 31/3/23) has been crowned with success, as the €45,000 required have been raised. The acquisition of this painting was therefore made possible entirely through individuals sponsorship, without the museum having to call on the support of the city or any other public authority. A great success for this museum, which is so active in terms of acquisitions.
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- 3. Orazio Riminaldi (1593-1630)
Clovis, c. 1625
Oil on canvas - 134 x 98 cm
Soissons, Musée Saint-Léger
Photo: Galerie Sarti - See the image in its page
Another operation we mentioned at the end of last year, which also proved a success: the Clovis by Orazio Riminaldi (ill. 3), coveted by the Musée Saint Léger in Soissons (see news item of 4/11/22), has also been purchased. In this case, public fundraising provided only marginal support for the acquisition, raising €12,000 out of a total price of €225,000, the bulk of which was financed by the Fonds du Patrimoine, the City of Soissons, the Fondation La Marck, the Friends of the Museum association and corporate sponsorship. But getting the individuals to participate in enriching the collections is an excellent way of involving them in the life of the museum.
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- Guillaume Bonoyseau (?-1547)
The Resurrection of Christ, c. 1545
Oil on panel - 179 x 123 cm
Montpellier, Musée Fabre
Photo: Galerie Sarti - See the image in its page
Another major acquisition was that of Guillaume Bonoyseau’s painting The Resurrection of Christ (ill. 4), which the Musée Fabre was trying to buy from the Sarti gallery (see the news item of 10/10/22), the same gallery that sold the Orazio Riminaldi to Troyes. In this case, it was not a question of individuals fundraising but of an appeal to corporate patronage.
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- 5. Guillaume Bonoyseau’s painting being installed at the Musée Fabre
Photo: Michel Hilaire - See the image in its page
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- 6. Guillaume Bonoyseau’s painting installed in the Musée Fabre rooms
Photo: Michel Hilaire - See the image in its page
Also very active in terms of acquisitions, this time the museum had chosen not to call on its Patrons’ Association, which was mobilised on other operations. In the end, it succeeded in raising €85,000 in sponsorship, notably from the Banque Dupuy, Banque de Parseval, the Tomaselli Collection and Michel Descours, in addition to the funding provided by Montpellier Métropole and the Fonds du Patrimoine. The painting has just been hung in the museum (ill. 5 and 6).
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- 7. Delft, between 1664 and 1671
Bottle Vase
Earthenware
Douai, Musée de la Chartreuse
Photo: Didier Rykner - See the image in its page
Finally, the Delft earthenware Vase bouteille (ill. 7) coveted by the Musée de la Chartreuse in Douai (see news item of 17/5/22) was also acquired thanks to a contribution of €21,126 from sponsors out of a total of €70,000, thanks to €6,000 donated by the Ecobra company, €800 from the Autocars douaisiens and €14,326 from individuals fundraising from Douai of course, but also from all over France and even Switzerland and the United States.