Joseph Mallord William Turner
Modern Rome– Campo Vaccino
Getty Museum acquires Turner’s 'Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino' for £29.7 million
J.M.W. Turner’s great masterpiece 'Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino' sold for £29,721,250 / $44,935,558 / € 35,727,792 – setting a new auction record for the British Master. The work was acquired by Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, London Dealers, who bid for the work on behalf of The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California
July 9th, 2010, source: Sotheby's
Discussing the record-breaking price achieved for Turner tonight, David Moore-Gwyn, Deputy Chairman, UK and
Senior Specialist in British Paintings at Sotheby’s, said: “Turner’s Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino has achieved a
tremendous and much-deserved result this evening. This breathtaking image shows the artist at his absolute best
and, for collectors, it ticked all the boxes – quality, superb condition, provenance and freshness-to-the-market. Over
the last few months it has been wonderful to observe the response that the painting has received from collectors who
come from all over the world. Turner is an artist who transcends the boundaries of British Art and the sale of this
exceptionally rare painting by him represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to which collectors have responded
this evening. ”
'Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino' was - without doubt - one of the most important Turners ever to come to the auction market and collectors from around the world responded to this astonishingly rare acquisition opportunity. Some six bidders pursued the painting in tonight’s sale for over five minutes, driving the price well above pre-sale expectations and breaking the previous Turner record by more than £9 million.
Painted in 1839, the breathtaking view of Rome shows Turner at the height of his technical powers and it is arguably his finest depiction of an Italian city. His final painting of Rome, the monumental work brings together all of the studies that he made during his two visits to the Italian capital. The painting was further distinguished by its immaculate condition and impeccable provenance. Prior to this evening’s sale, the painting had only appeared on the open market once in the 171 years since it was painted. It was offered for sale tonight by a descendant of the 5th Earl of Rosebery; the 5th Earl of Rosebery had bought the painting in 1878, while on honeymoon with his wife Hannah Rothschild, and it had remained in his family collection ever since.