Art: Appetite

Washington's National Gallery opened a long-awaited loan show this week: 40 paintings from the collection of Oil Tycoon Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian. Publicity-hating Gulbenkian, one of the richest men in the world (TIME, June 16, 1947 et seq.), was not on hand for the festivities; at 84, the Near East genius spends most of his time in his adopted Lisbon.

What Washington gallerygoers saw was only a part of Gulbenkian's collection, but it was enough to establish him as one of the most assiduous art buyers of the 20th Century. Among the prize packages in the show at the National were Rubens' luxurious,...

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