The Boston Raphael: A Mysterious Painting, an Embattled Museum in an Era of Change and a Daughter's Search for the Truth
4/5
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About this ebook
The discovery of a previously unknown painting by an Italian Renaissance master, and how it went from media sensation to career-ending scandal.
On the eve of its centennial celebrations in December 1969, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts announced the acquisition of an unknown and uncatalogued painting attributed to Raphael. Boston’s coup made headlines around the world. Soon afterward, an Italian art sleuth began investigating the details of the painting’s export from Italy, challenged the museum’s right to ownership. Simultaneously, experts on both sides of the Atlantic lined up to debate the artwork’s very authenticity.
While these contests played themselves out on the international stage, the crisis deepened within the museum as its charismatic director, Perry T. Rathbone, faced the most challenging crossroads of his thirty-year career. The facts about the forces that converged on the museum, and how they led to Rathbone’s resignation as director, is only now fully revealed in this compelling, behind-the-scenes story that reveals how the art world, media, and museums work. This is for anyone who relishes stories of the business of art.
Praise for The Boston Raphael
“Perhaps the most exciting book on the art world since Jonathan Harr’s The Lost Painting.” ―The Boston Globe
“In the compelling story of her father, Perry Rathbone, and the years when he was the elegant and revolutionary director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Belinda Rathbone evokes our country’s most glamorous years . . . The Boston Raphael is a combination of personal memoir and rich, deliciously detailed history that will keep you turning the pages.” ―Susan Cheever
Belinda Rathbone
Belinda Rathbone is a photography historian who has written widely on modern and contemporary photographers. She is the author of 'Walker Evans: A Biography', a New York Times Notable Book of 1995, and has contributed to magazines such as House & Garden and Architectural Digest. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Reviews for The Boston Raphael
7 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Belinda Rathbone, daughter of Perry Rathbone who was director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from 1955 to 1973, recounts her father's biography, focusing on the "scandal" in 1972. Using some dealings that may not have been completely aboveboard, Rathbone procured a previously unknown portrait, said to have been painted by Raphael. Between the efforts of a self-serving Italian "art sleuth" and an obnoxious board president, Rathbone is forced to retire.Belinda Rathbone does an excellent of job of fair-handed writing. She obviously admires him, but is willing to admit that he may have made some errors. I came away from the book with strong feelings about all of the characters, and I attribute that to the excellent writing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very interesting and highly readable account of a possibly shady art deal. Extremely even-handed and apparently objective, even though it was written by the daughter of the very charismatic museum director. Well documented, interesting footnotes. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in art, museums, history of Boston, and fathers.