Frick Collection purchases first work in almost 30 years

7 December 2017

The full-length portrait of Prince Camillo Borghese by François-Pascal-Simon Gérard (1770 to 1837) has been acquired by the Frick Collection, the first painting the museum has purchased in nearly three decades.

Robilant+Voena is pleased to announce that the full-length portrait of Prince Camillo Borghese by François-Pascal-Simon Gérard (1770 to 1837) has been acquired by the Frick Collection, the first painting the museum has purchased in nearly three decades.

Borghese was Napoleon's brother-in-law and an active patron of the arts, and he is shown here shortly after his appointment as governor of the French departments in northern Italy. He stands before the basilica of La Superga, above Turin, wearing the Légion d'honneur and an elaborate blue cloak that survives today in the Museo Napoleonico in Rome.

Edmondo di Robilant said: "I am delighted that this exceptional work will be a part of The Frick Collection, a distinguished institution where it can be admired for generations to come. We feel extremely honoured to be the first old master dealers to sell a painting to the museum in nearly 30 years."

Marco Voena added: "The Frick is a rightfully prestigious place for this exceptional picture, which has passed by descent within the Borghese family since it was commissioned. The exceptional nature of the portrait can be understood in the context of the masterpieces held in The Frick Collection."