Joseph Wright of Derby's "Self-Portrait," which for years was believed to be lost to the world of art, has been acquired by the Yale Center for British Art.
The work, painted between 1779 and 1782, was recently rediscovered during a sale from a private collection of the Cade family, direct descendants of Wright. It will be unveiled at the center on Wednesday, Dec. 10, and will be on view to the public, along with an exhibit of some of the museum's other Wright holdings, in the fourth-floor gallery until the museum closes for year-long renovations on Monday, Jan. 5.
The acquisition is particularly valuable because of the current competition to acquire Wright's works, says Patrick McCaughey, director of the Yale Center for British Art. Recently, important works by the artist have entered the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Louvre in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, he notes.
The Yale Center for British Art currently has 23 of Wright's works in its
collections -- the largest body of Wright's work outside the United Kingdom, explains Mr. McCaughey. Wright's "Self-Portrait" was purchased through a special gift from Paul Mellon '29, whose collection of British art is housed in the museum.
"Wright of Derby is one of Paul Mellon's artists," says Mr. McCaughey. "Today Wright is acknowledged as one of the masters of the British Enlightenment, and as the foremost collection of Wright's work, the Yale Center for British Art is honored and delighted that it adds this latest masterpiece to the museum."
Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97) is best known for his unconventional subject matter and his mastery of the oil technique. He was known during his lifetime as the "Midlands Rembrandt" because of his preoccupation with depicting the dramatic effects of light from a single source. Although he is now admired primarily for his candlelight pictures and landscapes, Wright was especially noted for his portraits during his lifetime. In addition to his many commissioned portraits, Wright painted nine self-portraits, of which three are categorized as untraced, according to Benedict Nicolson, who wrote the most comprehensive monograph about the artist.
The Yale Center for British Art is located at 1080 Chapel St.