Acquisition of the Year

The Virgin of the Pomegranate (c. 1426), Fra Angelico

Museo del Prado, Madrid

Accompanied by a small panel recently attributed to Fra Angelico, these two additions join an Annuciation (1425–26) at the Prado, making it ‘an international reference point for the study of this Florentine master’. The work was acquired for €18 million from the Spanish Alba ducal collection.

The Virgin of the Pomegranate (c. 1426), Fra Angelico (1390–1455). Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

The Armada portrait of Elizabeth I (c. 1590)

Royal Museums Greenwich, London

Sold by the descendants of Francis Drake, this definitive representation of Elizabeth I and the English Renaissance by an artist of the English school enters public ownership for the first time in its 425-year history. The result of a historic public appeal which attracted around 800,000 donations from the public, totalling £1.5 million (a total of £10.3 million was raised with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Art Fund and RMG).

The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I (c. 1590), English school. National Maritime Museum, London

Vase of Flowers in a Stone Niche (c. 1615), Roelant Savery

Mauritshuis, The Hague

This rare floral still life by Savery is undoubtedly one of the finest works by the master, and complements the museum’s existing holdings. It was acquired by the Dutch museum for €6.5 million through the BankGiro Lottery, the Rembrandt Association and a private individual.

Vase of Flowers in a Stone Niche (1615), Roelant Savery (1576–1639). Mauritshuis, The Hague

Danaë and the Shower of Gold (1621–23), Orazio Gentileschi

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Part of the Sauli series, this painting is among Gentileschi’s most important commissions and is regarded as one of the most important baroque pictures to come to market in recent memory. It was acquired at auction in January 2016 for $35 million.

Danaë and the Shower of Gold (1621), Orazio Gentileschi (1563–1639). J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Daniel W. Dietrich II bequest

Philadelphia Museum of Art

This transformative bequest includes a $10 million endowment and more than 50 works of American art, including Road and Trees (1962) by Edward Hopper, and works by Cy Twombly, Philip Guston, Agnes Martin, and Paul Thek – vastly strengthening the collection beyond what the museum’s acquisitions budget would otherwise allow.

Kettle (1978), Philip Guston (1913–80). Philadelphia Museum of Art

John Lautner house (built 1963)

LACMA, Los Angeles

LACMA’s first architectural gift, donated by former resident James Goldstein, is a historic house designed by James Lautner, which has played an extensive role in the cultural life of LA (it is best known as the house from the Coen brothers’ 1998 film The Big Lebowski).