The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford has four weeks left to raise £595,000 to save Manet’s portrait of Fanny Claus for the public. 93% of the £7.83 million total has already been raised.
Edouard Manet, Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus, 1868. Oil on canvas, 111 x 70 cm.
The museum has until August 2012 to save this key Impressionist painting Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus, 1868,for public display. The portrait has been sold to an overseas buyer for £28.35 million but, under a private treaty sale, with tax remission it can be purchased by an approved UK public collection at the greatly reduced price of £7.83 million.
In recognition of the painting’s extraordinary importance, the Heritage Lottery Fund has given lead support to the campaign with a £5.9million grant. Together with The Art Fund’s major award of £750,000 and hundreds of individual donors, the Ashmolean has already raised over £7.2million.
Donations can be made at: http://www.ashmolean.org/manet/