Penn Museum to Auction Historic Orientalist Painting at Bonhams for Up to $4 Million
The Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania is selling Osman Hamdi Bey's 1891 painting 'Cami Kapısında (At the Mosque Door)' at Bonhams in London on March 25. The work, purchased directly from the artist in 1895 for 6,000 francs, carries an estimate of £2-3 million ($2.7-4 million). Proceeds will establish an endowment for collection care. The painting, which had been stored and forgotten for decades until its 2007 rediscovery, holds historical significance for the museum's founding and archaeological work in Ottoman lands. Some experts criticize the sale as bypassing typical deaccession guidelines since the painting was never formally accessioned.
Key facts
- Osman Hamdi Bey's 1891 painting 'Cami Kapısında (At the Mosque Door)' will be auctioned at Bonhams London on March 25
- The Penn Museum purchased the painting directly from the artist in 1895 for 6,000 francs
- Auction estimate is £2-3 million ($2.7-4 million)
- Proceeds will fund a permanent endowment for the museum's collection care
- The painting was rediscovered in 2007 after being stored and forgotten for decades
Entities
Artists
- Osman Hamdi Bey
Institutions
- Penn Museum
- University of Pennsylvania
- Bonhams
- Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD)
- American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
- Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG)
Locations
- Philadelphia
- London
- Ottoman Empire
Sources
- ARTnews —