Image: Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid
Two works from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum collections have travelled to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark to be included in an exhibition devoted to Lucian Freud. The museum said the loans are ‘Pierrot contento’, by Jean-Antoine Watteau, dated around 1712, and ‘Retrato de hombre (Barón H. H. Thyssen-Bornemisza)’.
The announcement places the Madrid institution’s holdings in an international exhibition context, with the two works joining a display centred on Freud at Louisiana. The museum’s post did not provide further details on the exhibition’s scope, dates or curatorial framing, but it confirms that both pieces have been sent to the Danish museum as part of the project.
‘Pierrot contento’ comes from the early 18th century and is attributed to Watteau, while ‘Retrato de hombre (Barón H. H. Thyssen-Bornemisza)’ is identified by title in the museum’s notice. By citing both works together, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum highlighted the range of material in its collections and the way individual objects can move into different art-historical settings through loan arrangements.
Lucian Freud, known as one of the major figures in postwar British painting, has been the subject of many museum presentations internationally. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition adds to that ongoing museum attention, with the Thyssen-Bornemisza loans forming part of the material assembled there.
The museum’s statement was brief and focused on the travel of the works rather than on the broader exhibition narrative. Still, it confirms that the two loans are now in Denmark, where they are being shown in the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition dedicated to Freud.
