Caravaggio’s famed painting “The Cardsharps” is back at the Kimbell Art Museum after a major exhibition in Rome – and it has a new neighbor.
Still Life with Melon, Watermelon, and Other Fruits is an oil painting that was made between 1610 and 1620, but the summer fruits, shown in soft lighting against a dark background, look as if they’re still fresh and ready to eat today.
Historians know that a single artist produced this work and about a dozen other paintings, but they don’t know the artist's name.
Instead the artist is referred to as Pensionante del Saraceni, or boarder of Carlo Saraceni. Saraceni was a fellow artist working in Rome who was known to take in boarders.
Museum director Eric Lee said the artist was heavily inspired by Caravaggio, making the new acquisition a great companion to Caravaggio’s The Cardsharps.
“The power of this painting was immediately obvious,” he said. “The second I saw it, I thought that it would be a great addition to the Kimbell's collection.”
In 2022, the Kimbell celebrated its 50th anniversary with a handful of new acquisitions.
Since then the museum has added even more notable works to its collection, including pieces by Artemisia Gentileschi, George Stubbs, Thomas Gainsborough and Jean Siméon Chardin.
“What has been available in the past couple of years has been absolutely extraordinary,” Lee said.
Chardin’s The Cut Melon was an especially sweet victory for the Kimbell.
The museum won a bid to purchase Chardin’s Basket of Wild Strawberries. However, France’s cultural ministry temporarily blocked its export in 2022 at the request of the Louvre.
The Louvre argued that the painting should be kept in the country and asked for it to be classified as national treasure. During the export freeze, the Louvre raised money to purchase the Chardin instead.
Heartbreak struck again as the Kimbell lost a bid for The Cut Melon in another auction.
“I knew that painting was so perfect for the Kimbell, and I just couldn't believe we had lost it,” Lee said.
However, the winning bidder was unable to pay. The museum was then able to negotiate with the family that owned the painting directly.
“It was almost like a miracle that that painting came here,” he continued.
The museum’s philosophy is to focus on quality over quantity, Lee said, and he is extremely happy with all of the museum’s recent acquisitions.
“The greatest exhibition at the Kimbell is always the permanent collection,” he said.
The Cardsharps and Still Life with Melon, Watermelon, and Other Fruits are both on view at the Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. Admission to the permanent collection is free.
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