Sotheby’s will soon offer art enthusiasts a unique opportunity to add a celebrated painting by Albert Edelfelt, the fabled 19th century Finnish painter, to their collection. It is the first time in almost three decades that The Boy’s Workhouse has againemerged on the market. It is estimated to fetch between £350,000 and £450,000 (approx. $543,600 – $699,000), as it is a rare masterpiece that evokes the artist’s most important career stage, when he became appreciated as the country’s foremost painter.
Painted in 1885, the work merged Edelfelt’s love of his homeland with influences from his years in France. People immediately fell in love with the artist’s new aesthetic, characterized by a luminous palette, and the painting was purchased that same year at the Finish Art Society Exhibition.It was so popular that a print version of it was soon published as well.
The Head of Sotheby’s 19th Century European Paintings Department, Mr. Adrian Biddell, declared that the auction house was “delighted to be offering this evocative work by Albert Edelfelt”, adding that “such works rarely come to the market”. The sale will take place in London, on May 23.
