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The Sir Joshua Reynolds painting, acquired in a joint deal by the Getty and the National Portrait Gallery in London after a heated controversy, will be on display starting September 14.
Conservators performing a technical analysis of Joshua Reynolds’s “Portrait of Mai (Omai)” (c. 1776) (all photos courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust)
The renowned “Portrait of Mai (Omai)” by Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted around 1776, is set to be showcased at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles from September 14. This exhibition occurs four years after the artwork was placed under a 15-month export ban by the United Kingdom to prevent its sale abroad. Prior to its debut in the United States, the painting underwent a thorough technical examination, which provided fresh insights into Reynolds’s artistic methods.
In a notable agreement, the Getty and the National Portrait Gallery jointly acquired the painting in 2023, with each institution contributing half of the £50 million ($61 million) purchase price.
Experts from both the Getty and the National Portrait Gallery in London started an analysis of the nearly eight-foot-long artwork using flashlights and imaging technology upon its arrival at the California museum in July. Over a period of five weeks, they uncovered various pigments used by Reynolds and identified parts of the composition where he made alterations. This was first reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by Hyperallergic.
“Initial observations and results brought to light Reynolds’ use of thick and textured paint in certain areas of the painting, showing he reworked those parts of the composition with multiple colors and layers,” a Getty spokesperson told Hyperallergic. Those areas include Mai’s head and his intricately tattooed hands.
