Christie’s has facilitated the first ever joint acquisition of two masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn by the French and Dutch states through its Private Sale channel. The portraits of Maerten Soolmans and his wife Oopjen Coppit were executed a year after the couple’s wedding in 1633.According to Christie’s, the two works will always be shown together, alternately at the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum, but will be owned separately because of French acquisition laws. They will be exhibited for the first time in 60 years in a few weeks at the Louvre in Paris.The portraits are the least known masterpieces in Rembrandt’s oeuvre, having entered the Rothschild collection in 1878 and last exhibited publically in the Netherlands in 1956.Patricia Barbizet, Chief Executive Officer of Christie’s, commented: “To have played our part in this historic sale of these magnificent masterpieces from such a prestigious private collection is a fitting start to this 250th anniversary year for Christie’s. It is a testament to the vision shown by the French Republic, the Louvre, the State of the Netherlands and the Rijksmuseum that these two great Rembrandt van Rijn portraits will now take their place among the greatest works of art, in the heart of Europe, to be appreciated for many generations to come.”
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