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Vittorio Sgarbi, Italy’s junior minister for cultural heritage, has been accused of laundering stolen art after allegedly hiring a professional art restorer to modify a stolen painting in an attempt to make it less identifiable.
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 11 Jan 2024
Vittorio Sgarbi, Italy’s junior minister for cultural heritage, has been accused of laundering stolen art after allegedly hiring a professional art restorer to modify a stolen painting in an attempt to make it less identifiable.
Painted in 1863, Rutilio Manetti's The Capture of Saint Peter was stolen from a castle in Piedmont in 2013 after being cut out of its frame. It is claimed that Sgarbi acquired the work and hired the artist to paint a burning torch attached to a wall bracket so as to conceal its identity.
Sgarbi has denied the accusations, saying the painting - worth around €300,000 - belongs to him. He is currently being investigated for acquiring the artwork illegally and the laundering of cultural assets.
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