Psyche (painting)
| Psyche | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Artist | Solomon Joseph Solomon |
| Year | 1902 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | Academic art |
| Dimensions | 90 cm × 153 cm (35 in × 60 in) |
| Location |
|
Psyche was a 1902 oil painting by Solomon Joseph Solomon. It was stolen in 1942, and never recovered.[1]
This painting is an example of one of Solomon's common subject matters, Greek mythology, that marked him as part of the end of European academic tradition using Hellenic models.[2]
Description
Psyche, the mythological wife of Cupid, is depicted as a reclining nude in bed with a cup fallen beside her, cloth draped over her body but not concealing her from the viewer. The painting is so large as to have the subject nearly life-sized.[3][4]
Background
The picture was originally displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1902 at Burlington House in London. The painting was moved to Christchurch in 1907, and exhibited at the New Zealand International Exhibition. During the exhibition, it was purchased with other works for a total of £440 by the The Canterbury Society Of Arts, who exhibited it at their gallery. It was delivered to the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1932.[1]
Theft
On June 21 or 22, 1942, the painting was removed from its frame and stolen from the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in Christchurch. It has never been found.[1]
In 2014, Penelope Jackson and two other people staged a re-enactment of the theft, climbing onto the Robert McDougall Gallery's roof.[5] The painting provides the cover of Jackson's 2016 book "Art Thieves, Fakes & Fraudsters: The New Zealand Story".[6][7]
Frame
After the painting was stolen, its gold frame remained in the gallery's collection.[8]
The frame was on display from September 2016–January 2017 at Waikato Museum in an exhibition curated by Penelope Jackson called An Empty Frame: Crimes of Art in New Zealand.[9][10]
References
- 1 2 3 "Psyche". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ↑ Pery, Jenny (1 January 1990). Solomon J Solomon RA (PDF). Ben Uri Art Society Limited. p. 4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - ↑ "PICTURE OF NUDE". Grey River Argus. 23 June 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 30 January 2024 – via PapersPast.
- ↑ "ART GALLERY THEFT". Waikato Times. No. 21762. 23 June 1942. p. 2. Retrieved 30 January 2024 – via PapersPast.
- ↑ "Back page: Penelope Jackson talks art crime in New Zealand". The New Zealand Herald. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ↑ "New Zealand's surprising history of art crime: 'I continue to be flabbergasted' | Books | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ↑ Jackson, Penelope (2016). Art Thieves, Fakers & Fraudsters: The New Zealand Story. Awa Press. pp. 70–79. ISBN 9781927249512.
- ↑ "Art crime in New Zealand – there's more than you think". Stuff. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ↑ "An Empty Frame: Crimes of Art in New Zealand - Waikato Museum". waikatomuseum.co.nz. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ↑ Fox, Rebecca (20 October 2016). "Framed: art crime in focus". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 1 February 2024.