Madrid. The Colnaghi gallery has confirmed that the new owner of the Behold the man by the Italian painter Caravaggio has as a priority that it be exhibited in collections open to the public
.
This was explained yesterday by the executive director of Colnaghi, Jorge Coll, and although he has not revealed the sale price or the identity of the buyer, he did assure that, if it had not been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) by the Community of Madrid and unexportable, its figure could have been well above
of 100 million euros.
In this sense, Coll has reiterated that the wish of the previous owners, the Pérez de Castro brothers, was for Caravaggio’s work to be open to a public that could see it. enjoy
which has meant that some interested in the purchase, which was closed after the summer of 2023, were not as suitable as others
and has celebrated that this loan with El Prado until October is a solution that satisfies all parties involved
.
He may be in El Prado for nine months right now, but the idea is that he continues to be exposed to the public and there will be news later
Coll added.
He also recalled that the Behold the man is protected and cannot be removed from Spain, and that every time change hands
The government of Spain has the right to score
and of retract
.
As confirmed by Coll, the owner is a philanthropist
resident in Spain who has asked to remain anonymous so that the Protagonism
received by the work, which, he assures, has been the subject of much interest
although it has not been negotiated with any other possible buyer.
The restoration of the work was carried out in the Spanish capital under the supervision of the Community of Madrid, by the specialist Andrea Cipriani, a project in which the Colnaghi art gallery – which has guarded the painting – and Filippo Benappi (Benappi) have collaborated. Fine Art) and Andrea Lullo (Lullo Pampoulides). The results of this process are collected in an exhaustive publication that will be available after the presentation of the work on May 27.