Valuable art find at hospital
A small fortune in art has been found in an old cupboard at Christchurch Hospital.
When staff opened the cupboard at the Avon Nurses Hostel they found original works by Petrus Van der Velden. Giralamo Nerli, and Rata Lovell-Smith. The value of the three works has been estimated at $lO,OOO. The Van der Velden is a drawing of a girl on the riverbank in the area where the artist lived. The director of the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Mr John Coley, described the sketch as "very free and pleasant." The oil painting by Nerli, an Italian painter who taught in Dunedin, is thought to be an urban scene near the Dunedin railway station. It is the most valuable of the three works.
Mr Coley described the landscape by Rata LovellSmith as being a significant Canterbury painting. It is thought that the works used to hang in the hostel but were taken down and put to one side during renovations during the 19305. The medical superintendent of Christchurch Hospital, Dr D. A. Andrews, said that the cupboard in which they were found probably had not been opened for 30 years. The signature on the sketch by Van der Velden was easily read but the oil painting by Nerli was not recognised until Mr Coley came to inspect the Van der Velden. Both the sketch and the oil painting need cleaning. The latter will probably go to the Dunedin Art Gallery for restoration.
It is not yet known where the works will hang but they will be returned to Christchurch Hospital and “strong precautions regarding security” will be taken.
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Press, 10 June 1982, Page 3
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272Valuable art find at hospital Press, 10 June 1982, Page 3
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