Rembrandt’s ‘son’ will be visiting Washington

Forty-two years after Rembrandt’s “Portrait of a Boy in Fancy Dress,” or “Titus,” made a highly publicized appearance in Washington, D.C., the painting will return to the National Gallery of Art to launch a series of loan exchanges with the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.

The portrait -- which landed on the cover of Time magazine and was exhibited at the gallery in 1965, after Simon purchased it in a fiercely contested bidding war -- will be on view in the nation’s capital from May 11 to Sept. 4. It can be seen at the Simon museum through May 6.

Future loans are under discussion, but the Simon is expected to send a major work from its collection to Washington every other year and bring a National Gallery piece of equal quality to Pasadena on alternate years. The Simon plans to select its first loan from the National Gallery in a few weeks and display the artwork in 2008.

“We want to make people in other parts of the country aware of what we have here,” said Walter W. Timoshuk, president of the Simon museum, who initiated the program with National Gallery Director Earl A. Powell. “We also want to bring to the West Coast some great masterpieces that have never been here and that people might not have the opportunity to see otherwise.

“I hope and believe this will be a long-term relationship,” Timoshuk said. But it does not signal a change in the Simon’s loan policy. The museum frequently lends works from its contemporary art collection, but loans from its trademark Old Master, Impressionist and Modern art holdings are extremely rare.

Powell was traveling and couldn’t be reached for comment. In a statement released by the National Gallery, he called the exchange “an exciting opportunity to share national treasures across the continent.”

The Rembrandt is “a wonderful painting with a great story attached to it,” said Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of Northern Baroque painting at the National Gallery. Painted, but left unfinished, around 1655, the portrait has been known as “Titus” because it was thought to portray the artist’s son by that name. Research indicates that the sitter is not Titus, but the boy has not been identified.

Norton Simon, an industrialist who began collecting art in the mid-1950s, purchased the picture at Christie’s London. While the sale was in progress, the auctioneer apparently became confused by Simon’s signals and sold the Rembrandt to a competitor. Outraged that the auctioneer hadn’t followed his instructions, Simon demanded that the sale be reopened. After a heated public discussion, Simon prevailed and bought the painting for $2.2 million.

“In a way, the painting has suffered from its notoriety,” Wheelock said. “Now that has settled down. You can go back and just look at this very tender, direct image of this very appealing young boy. Because the painting is unfinished, you have a feeling of the artist’s mind and hand at work. That adds a personal component.

“There are lots of Rembrandts,” Wheelock said, “but this is one you can’t forget. It’s a real treasure to have in this country, and it’s all because Norton Simon made an incredible effort to get it.”

suzanne.muchnic@latimes.com