By Karen Whaley

Today, the AGO was pleased to announce the donation of a Bernini sculpture by real estate developer Murray Frum. The sculpture, entitled Corpus, has an estimated value of $50-million.
Arguably the most prolific sculptor of the 17th century, Bernini is most famous for his architectural and decorative work on the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. His Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Persephone, and David in the Galleria Borghese are some of the finest works in marble, ever.
Bernini created three versions of the sculpture in 1650 at the height of his career, around the same time that he was working on the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in Rome’s Piazza Navona and the Ecstasy of St. Theresa. The first is in the collection of the Spanish royal family and the second didn’t survive the Napoleonic Wars. The third sculpture, now in the possession of the AGO, stayed in Bernini’s personal collection for 25 years and was next recorded as being in Perugia in 1790. It was then found in Venice in 1908, and later sold to an American collector under the assumption that the sculpture was from the school of Giambologna.
In 2002 it was identified as a Bernini, but it took several years for its provenience to be determined. Once confirmed, the bidding war began. Murray Frum was declared the victor.
However, Frum never intended for it to end up in his private collection. As a member of the board of directors and donor of more than 80 pieces of African primitive art, he is already one of the AGO’s major patrons. “I felt it didn’t belong in a private home,” Frum explained. “To me, this piece belonged in a public institution.”
He’s probably right. A 1.7m statue of Christ crucified in one’s bedroom is bound to draw some raised eyebrows. Better to keep the Gainsborough in the boudoir and find a large wall at the AGO for our friend on the cross.
Corpus is expected to be on display by summer 2007.

Photo of Bernini’s angel from Castel San’Angelo courtesy of TrekEarth.