The man's got taste.

Fidelity's [profile] Ned Johnson allegedly bought a giant 18th Century British altarpiece for $2.85 million and wants to remove the painting from the home where it currently resides, creating a storm of controversy amongst a whole lot of fussy, finicky British art types, according to the Boston Business Journal.

The work in question is Benjamin West's Devout Men Taking Away the Body of St. Stephen, a 1776 work that had adorned the altar of the church of St. Stephen Walbrook in London, but has been in storage since its 1987 removal from the church under "questionable circumstances," according to the newspaper.

The paper reports that the Church Building Council is seeking permission to appeal the Diocese of London's decision to sell the painting.  

Edited by: Tommy Fernandez


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