Comment by Scoundreller

Comment by Scoundreller 2 months ago

2 replies

The theft of it wasn’t even noticed for months. It got sold some months before they realized it was stolen.

I can’t find the article, but the buyer had stated that Sotheby’s mostly reimbursed him. Maybe he was out shipping or VAT? It also said, the buyer, an Italian lawyer, technically could have kept it, but chose not to.

thmsths 2 months ago

I wonder if the fact that he was a lawyer had a significant impact on the decision. It is my understanding that in some jurisdictions lawyers are held to high ethics standards. I could see the local bar association taking disciplinary actions had he chosen to keep a painting he knew was stolen.

  • Scoundreller 2 months ago

    He wanted a conversation piece and he got one!

    If it were me, I would have made the exchange contingent on eventually getting the forgery in return once the case was closed.

    Presumably it technically was “given” to the hotel.