Missing Artwork Found in Art Dealer’s Vault

Billionaire international art dealer, Guy Wildenstein, has been officially charged with “breach of trust” (the crime of concealing art that has been reported as missing or stolen). Missing pieces of art were found in Wildenstien’s possession after the widow of Wildenstein’s father sued for a larger share of her deceased husband’s estate, making allegations of money laundering and tax evasion. The widow’s suit prompted police to search the Wildenstein Institute vault where they found around 300 pieces of art, many of which had been reported as stolen or missing.

Included in the found pieces of art were many pieces belonging to the Reinach family. In 1972, the executor of the estate of a Reinach family member retained Daniel Wildenstein, Guy Wildenstein’s father, to divide pieces of art kept in the Wildenstein Institute among three branches of Reinach heirs. Many of the heirs have always suspected they did not receive their full share of the artwork.

Guy Wildenstein, who took over the Wildenstein Institute in 2008 after the death of his brother, claims he lacked any inventory for the vault where the missing pieces of art were eventually found.

The Wildenstein Institute specializes in gathering detailed information about pieces of art and catalogues raisonnés for artists, including Monet, Manet and Gauguin.

See, Doreen Carvajal and Carol, Ignorance is Defense in Case of Lost Art, The New York Times, Jul. 20, 2011.