Speed Art Museum to return Altarpiece After New Research Reveals it was Stolen in 1971
Painting on Exhibition June 9 to July 3, 2011
Louisville, KY, May 24, 2011. Several months ago an investigator from the United States Department of Homeland Security contacted the Speed Art Museum concerning a small, Italian altarpiece in its collection. Based on information provided by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage in Rome, it appeared this artwork had been stolen from a private home in 1971; collaborative research with the Speed Museum later proved this to be the case. The Speed will return the painting in early July, following its display at the Museum in a special exhibition from June 9 to July 3, 2011.
Charles L. Venable, Speed Director and CEO, remarked: “Works of art are in many ways like people in that they often have complicated histories. When the Speed purchased this altarpiece nearly 40 years ago, we did not know it had been stolen from a private collection. Since being notified of this, we have worked closely with all parties to research the case and to restore to painting to its rightful owner.”
The painting is an Italian triptych (3 panel altar painting). The center panel shows the Madonna and Child flanked by St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine of Alexandria. Saint Anthony Abbot and a bishop saint appear on the left wing, and the crucifixion with Virgin and St. John the Evangelist appear on the right panel. Paintings of this kind were designed to be used as private altarpieces in the home and could be easily transported due to their small size and folding construction.
The Speed purchased the painting in 1973 from a New York gallery for $38,000 as the work of an unidentified Italian painter working in the late 14th century. Although the U.S. Department of Justice has said the painting is attributed to Jacopo del Casentino
(c. 1297 – 1358), scholars who have studied the work at the Speed during the past 38 years have not been in agreement as to who painted the work or the dating of the piece.
According to documents supplied by the Department of Homeland Security, the painting was stolen from the Villa La Giraffa in Goito, Italy, on October 2, 1971, along with 13 other works of art. Upon learning this information, the staff and Trustees of the Speed Art Museum immediately began working with the Department of Homeland Security to verify the documentation and to ensure that the painting in the Speed’s collection is in fact the one reported stolen in 1971. The collaboration confirmed these facts, and thus the Museum has agreed to return the work.
Although details have yet to be finalized, the Speed Art Museum believes the altarpiece will be transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice in early July. In keeping with its educational mission, the Speed will display the altarpiece from June 9 to July 3 in a focus exhibition that will place the painting within the overall context of the international art world and provenance and scholarly research. Following the exhibition and the physical transfer of the painting from the Speed’s care, the Department of Justice will then be responsible for its return to Italy.
About the Speed Art Museum
The Speed Art Museum is Kentucky’s largest art museum with a collection that spans 6,000 years of human creativity. An independent museum located on the campus of the University of Louisville, the Speed plays an important role in the cultural and educational life of the region. The Museum is situated at a crossroads between the city and the University of Louisville, adjacent to the busiest pedestrian thoroughfare on the University’s campus. More information on the Speed Art Museum is available at speedmuseum.org.
Museum hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Friday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (open late); Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Galleries are closed on Monday and Tuesday.
For more information, please contact Kirsten Popp, 502.634.2700/
