Frick Collection Makes Rare Purchase, Then Italy Tries To Block It After The Fact

“The Frick, which adds only sparingly to its collection, described the portrait” – a seven-foot-tall image of Prince Camillo Borghese (Napoleon’s brother-in-law) by François Gérard – “as its most significant painting purchase for nearly 30 years when it announced the acquisition last December.” Now the Italian culture ministry, saying that the portrait is important to the national patrimony, has canceled the export license for the work and is trying to get it returned.