The Getty Museum has added a remarkable treasure to its collection: a rediscovered painting by Diego Velazquez, one of the greatest painters of early modern Europe. The work, “Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares” (about 1626), will go on view this fall in the Museum’s East Pavilion at the Getty Center.
The painting shows Gaspar de Guzman y Pimentel, better known as the Count-Duke of Olivares, the powerful prime minister (valido) of Spain’s King Philip IV. Clad in gold-trimmed armor with a red sash, Olivares turns to face the viewer with a commanding gaze that captures his formidable personality — a vivid example of Velazquez’s innovation in court portraiture.
Historians believe Velazquez painted the portrait as a diplomatic gift during the summer of 1626. For centuries, the work was known only through a famous engraving by Paulus Pontius after a design by Peter Paul Rubens. Now the original has come to light — a landmark addition to the Getty’s celebrated collection of 17th-century European paintings.
Angelinos can see the masterpiece up close this fall at the Getty Center, one of the city’s most beloved cultural destinations.
Photo: The Getty
