According to the police, Sgarbi himself painted something on the painting in the top left corner to disguise the fact that it was a stolen work. The painting, by an anonymous painter, was said to have been stolen from a castle near Turin in 2013. The value is unknown.
Tried to buy before
According to investigative journalists from the Italian public broadcaster RAI, an acquaintance of Sgarbi allegedly contacted the castle owner several weeks before the theft to purchase the work.
Sgarbi himself says that he found the painting in an abandoned villa that his mother had bought in 2000. He denies all accusations. He tells Italian media that his painting is the original work, and that the painting stolen at the time is a bad copy from the 19th century.
Sgarbi is a well-known politician in Italy: infamous for his short fuse and foul language, but also widely respected as an art expert.
2024-01-12 21:06:55
#Italian #culture #minister #investigated #possession #stolen #painting
