Thomas Kaplan Purchased Rembrandt Painting at Auction
The Leiden Collection acquired St John on Patmos for $9 million after the work spent decades in private hands.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Fine Art
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Thomas Kaplan purchased the Rembrandt painting St John on Patmos for £6.75 million, or $9 million, at a Sotheby's auction in December 2025. This acquisition marks the 18th work by the Dutch master added to the Leiden Collection over the last two decades.
Why it matters
The acquisition aims to preserve the masterwork and facilitate its return to the public domain through future exhibitions. The Leiden Collection plans to include the painting in a European exhibition scheduled for autumn 2027.
The painting sold for $9 million, following the February 2026 sale of a separate Rembrandt lion drawing by Kaplan for nearly $18 million. It represents the 18th Rembrandt work secured by the Leiden Collection.
The players
Thomas Kaplan
He is the billionaire entrepreneur and collector who founded the Leiden Collection.
Leiden Collection
This is a private collection based in New York that holds one of the most extensive groups of 17th-century Dutch art.
Sotheby's
It is an international auction house that facilitates the sale of fine art and luxury goods.
The details
Conservation cleaning performed after the sale revealed a palm tree and an eagle in the background, which helped specialists identify the subject as St John at Patmos rather than a portrait of Titus. The painting was previously seized by the Nazis in 1940 and returned in 1950, after which it was not shown publicly for over a century since its last display in 1923.
Timeline
The painting was sold by an American dealer for $160 in 1904.
The work was last exhibited publicly in 1923.
Thomas Kaplan purchased the painting at Sotheby's in December 2025.
A Rembrandt lion drawing was sold by Kaplan in February 2026.
A European exhibition for the collection is planned for autumn 2027.
Industry Dynamics
This acquisition highlights the ongoing movement of major historical works from private archives into dedicated research collections. The move aligns with the broader institutional strategy of maximizing public access to masterpieces that were previously restricted or lost to history.
Collectors and art enthusiasts can expect to see the newly restored painting when it returns to public viewing during the 2027 European exhibition. The conservation work ensures that future viewers will see the previously obscured palm tree and eagle details.
The takeaway
The identification of the painting as St John at Patmos underscores how modern conservation techniques can fundamentally change the historical understanding of a classic work. Owners of historic art may find that professional cleaning often reveals hidden provenance details that significantly impact cultural and academic valuation.
Further reading
Learn more about historic acquisitions in our Fine Art section.
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