The Romanian government is suing Christie’s auction house and a Russian billionaire to halt the sale of a painting by El Greco titled San Sebastian, which is estimated to be worth $9 million. The government claims that the painting was stolen by the last king of Romania over 70 years ago and that it cannot be legally sold. The prime minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, stated that the painting is of great importance to the country’s national history and is considered stolen property until it is returned to Romania. The Romanian government wants to bring a stop to the auction before it happens.
The lawsuit alleges that shortly before King Michael I abdicated the Romanian throne following the nation’s Soviet takeover in 1947, he illegally moved around 40 works from the royal palace’s national gallery to a Swiss bank account, including the painting by El Greco. The Romanian government asserts that this painting is their property and should be returned to them. The Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev is accused of purchasing the painting improperly and is also being sued to return the work. The Romanian government believes that selling the painting before the ownership claim is resolved would cause immediate and irreparable harm to the state and its people.
Christie’s removed the painting from the auction just days before it was scheduled to take place after learning of Romania’s claim of ownership. The auction house takes provenance research seriously and ensures that the property it offers has good title. The painting has been in hiding for several decades and has been the rightful property of Romania for over 100 years. Romania has been trying to retrieve the artwork through various legal actions initiated by the former communist government in 1948, leading to a record of its provenance. The lawsuit against Christie’s and Rybolovlev is the latest attempt to recover the treasured artwork.
The painting San Sebastian was owned by Romania’s first monarch, King Carol I, who bequeathed it to be part of the country’s national gallery upon his death in 1914. However, in 1947, King Michael I removed around 40 paintings from the crown and deposited them in a Swiss bank before being forced to abdicate by the new communist government. The painting was later sold in 1975 to a gallery in Manhattan, which then sold it to the current owner, allegedly a trust owned by Rybolovlev. The lawsuit claims that Christie’s failed to accurately reflect the painting’s provenance by not mentioning that it was never officially given to King Michael I.
The Romanian government argues that the artwork, like other property of the former crown, should have entered public ownership after the monarchy fell. Despite Christie’s agreeing to withdraw the painting from the auction, Rybolovlev and the other defendants have refused to return the painting to Romania. Rybolovlev, who is known for his extensive art collection worth $2 billion, was unsuccessful in suing another top auction house for fraud allegations the previous year. Romania has had previous lawsuits against past owners and the former king dismissed, but the new suit claims that those dismissals were based on technical issues, not on the merits of Romania’s ownership claim. An alleged heir of King Michael I has also filed a lawsuit to make a claim to the painting following Christie’s decision to remove it from the auction.
