I came across this story today- sounds a great idea to me.
From the BBC web site and the photo:
“A new gallery showing major works of art from Spain's "golden age" is to open in a former bank in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
The gallery will be built by investment manager and art lover Jonathan Ruffer, who owns nearby Auckland Castle.
He hopes some paintings will come on loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain's national gallery.
In 2012, Mr Ruffer paid £15m to keep a collection of 17th Century Spanish paintings in the UK.
The 12 paintings by Francisco de Zurbaran hang in Auckland Castle, the former home of the bishops of Durham. Mr Ruffer bought the castle itself as part of the deal.
He is now setting about making the region a centre of excellence for classical Spanish art.”
It’s tempting to go to Durham to see this….
Years ago I was fascinated by the story of Church of England heritage and Zurbaran paintings in particular. Jonathan Ruffer and the Zurbarán Trust thankfully saved the heritage for the benefit of the people of the North East.
So are the paintings being removed from Auckland Castle to the new gallery permanently? If so, more people will get to see the precious Zurbarans but the battle for keeping Auckland Castle intact may have failed.
Thank you for the link
Hels
http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/church-of-england-zurbaran-and-cashing.html
Posted by: Hels | 10/25/2014 at 04:53 AM