PHILADELPHIA, PA.- The Board of Trustees of Thomas Jefferson University announced that the University has sold Thomas Eakins’ Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand (1874) to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, for an undisclosed amount. Christie’s in New York arranged the private sale. Prior to entering an agreement with Crystal Bridges, representatives of the University discussed its interest in selling the Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand with representatives of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Eakins’ Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand has been the property of Thomas Jefferson University since Dr. Rand donated it without restriction to the University upon his retirement from Jefferson Medical College in 1877. Proceeds from the sale of the painting will be used to support the mission of the University and the implementation of its new strategic plan.

Crystal Bridges also announced today it will lend the Rand portrait to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for public viewing later this spring, although a firm date for the loan has not been set. The painting will be exhibited permanently at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which is scheduled to open in 2009.

“We are grateful to the Crystal Bridges Museum for the opportunity to borrow this fine early portrait by Thomas Eakins and to show it in the context of our American collections,” said Anne d’Harnoncourt, Director and CEO, Philadelphia Museum of Art. “I look forward to seeing the exciting new museum in Bentonville when it opens and to the possibility of future collaborations as they join the community of American museums.”

Crystal Bridges is envisioned as a premier national art institution dedicated to American art and artists. An important focus for the new museum and cultural complex is to provide new audiences with access to significant works of art that reflect the richness and diversity of the American experience. “We are pleased to acquire the Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand,” said Robert Workman, executive director, Crystal Bridges. “Through this wonderful painting, our visitors will learn about the extraordinary role Thomas Eakins played in the development of American art and the importance of Thomas Jefferson University to the advancement of American medicine.”

Eakins' portrait of Rand is significant as the first in his series of portraits of physicians and scientists. Eakins portrayed the popular Dr. Benjamin H. Rand—a Jefferson Medical College professor with whom Eakins studied anatomy—lost in concentration at his desk, which is shown cluttered both with objects of science and academia and those of domestic life. Surrounded by the accoutrements of every aspect of life, Rand is poised between the world of intellectual endeavor and the comforts of home. The portrait was a great success for Eakins, earning a place at the Philadelphia Centennial's (1876) international art exhibition, where it won critical acclaim as one of the best paintings in the exhibition.

“We are heartened by the knowledge that at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Eakins’ Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand will be displayed in the context of a prominent collection of masterworks by American artists,” said Thomas Jefferson University President Robert L. Barchi, M.D., Ph.D. “Eakins was inspired by his professors at Jefferson Medical College. Many people will be able to see this portrait and learn more about the great legacy of Thomas Eakins and his connection to Thomas Jefferson University, one of Philadelphia’s and the country’s historic medical universities. We are very mindful of our rich history and we consider our doctors great treasures.”

Brian G. Harrison, Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees, stated, “It is our board’s ongoing responsibility to consider options that help the institution stay true to its core mission and provide Dr. Barchi with the tools to implement our current strategic plan. Our goal is to make the University an even stronger and more dynamic educational, clinical and research institution, one that cherishes and furthers its history and mission, while also contributing to the economic growth of Philadelphia.”