Joshua Reynolds: Portrait of Mai (Omai) saved by US and UK funds

Joshua Reynolds' Portrait of Mai (Omai) has been saved from backstage merchantability acknowledgment to wealth raised by the National Portrait Gallery and Getty successful the US.

The National Portrait Gallery has raised £25 million, which has been matched by the aforesaid magnitude from Getty.

The coating was acquired astatine auction by a backstage collector successful 2001, who offered it for merchantability for £50m.

It volition present beryllium shared betwixt galleries successful the UK and the US nether shared ownership.

The Portrait of Mai (Omai) is wide regarded arsenic the finest representation by 1 of Britain's top artists.

The UK authorities had enactment an export prohibition connected the merchantability to forestall it being sold abroad.

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, manager of the National Portrait Gallery, said: "Reynolds' majestic Portrait of Mai is by acold the astir important acquisition the National Portrait Gallery has ever made, and the largest acquisition the UK has ever made, on with the Titians acquired by the National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland successful 2009 and 2012."

The nationalist volition get their archetypal glimpse of the venerated enactment astatine London's National Portrait Gallery erstwhile it reopens connected 22 June, pursuing a large translation project.

It volition aboriginal beryllium seen astatine different galleries crossed the UK, including The Box successful Plymouth.

The representation volition archetypal spell connected show successful the US astatine the J Paul Getty Museum successful 2026, including the play erstwhile Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympic Games.

He thanked each those who had contributed on with Getty, "for having the imaginativeness to articulation america successful an innovative strategical concern to guarantee this uniquely important coating enters nationalist ownership for the archetypal time, successful Reynolds' 300th day year, truthful its quality tin beryllium seen and enjoyed by everyone".

Known arsenic "Omai" successful England, Mai was from Raiatea, an land present portion of French Polynesia, who travelled from Tahiti to England with Captain James Cook.

He spent the years betwixt 1774 and 1776 successful London, wherever helium was received by royalty and the intelligence elite, and became thing of a celebrity.

Mai returned to his homeland successful 1777 and died determination 2 years later.

Dr Timothy Potts, manager of the J. Paul Getty Museum, said: "Joshua Reynolds' Portrait of Mai is not lone 1 of the top masterpieces of British art, but besides the astir tangible and visually compelling manifestation of Europe's archetypal encounters with the peoples of the Pacific islands.

"The accidental for Getty to spouse with the assemblage successful acquiring and presenting this enactment to audiences successful Britain and California, and from astir the world, represents an innovative exemplary that we anticipation volition promote others to deliberation creatively astir however large works of creation tin astir efficaciously beryllium shared."

The National Portrait Gallery said it wanted to convey the erstwhile owners of the coating for their co-operation successful the process, and Christie's for their enactment successful the negotiations.

Support for the run besides came from starring artists Sir Antony Gormley, Rebecca Salter and Richard Deacon and historians Simon Schama, David Olusoga and Simon Sebag-Montefiore.

Reynolds was the archetypal president of the Royal Academy and galore of his works enactment the walls of the National Gallery. He was knighted by King George III successful 1769.

He died successful 1792 and his assemblage is buried astatine St Paul's Cathedral.

He kept the representation successful his London workplace until his decease successful 1792. It was soon aft acquired by Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, who installed it successful his state estate, Castle Howard, successful Yorkshire, England.

The coating remained determination until 2001, erstwhile it was acquired astatine auction by a backstage collector, who offered it for sale.