Salt Lake Telegram | 1951-03-01 | Page 2 | U. S. Gallery Denies Claim Russ Have 'Madonna'

T All IT r CV H P F U A P U. U UC S S. S GALLERY DEf J DENES DEMES ES CIAS CLAIM RUSS HAVE MADONNA NEW V YORK March 1 UP P-In P In 1931 1031 Andrew W. W Mellon the late multimillionaire secretary of the treasury bought Raphael's Alba Madonna from the Russian government for the thc the highest recorded price for a painting The masterpiece has been hanging in the National Gallery of Art in Washington since 1941 1911 The Russians now claim in a Soviet publication that the celebrated art work is hanging in the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad In Washington John Walker Talk cr curator of painting at the National Gallery said Wednesday The original Alba Madonna Madonna Madonna Ma Ma- donna is hanging in our gallery unless it has been stolen during during during dur dur- ing the time it took me ore to answer the telephone phone