Prominent art critic and Italian official accused of art theft

Undersecretary of State to Italy’s Ministry of Culture Vittorio Sgarbi is under investigation for possession of artwork stolen more than 10 years ago

Italy’s government is embroiled in a fresh controversy surrounding the theft of the masterpiece ‘La Cattura di San Pietro’ (The Capture of St. Peter) by Rutilio Manetti. The artwork, known to have been stolen in 2013 from Margherita Buzio’s castle in Piedmont, was removed from its frame by cutting the canvas.

Undersecretary of State to Italy’s Ministry of Culture, Vittorio Sgarbi, is also accused of altering the painting to conceal its authenticity. The investigation into the Italian official revolves around allegations of laundering stolen art. The report on the investigation alleged that a friend of Sgarbi’s wanted to buy the painting a few weeks before the theft. Sgarbi vehemently denies the accusations.

Reports indicate that the painting stolen from the castle was handed over to a restorer in a damaged state shortly after the theft. The restorer asserted that the artwork presented to him was indeed the stolen painting. The painting was transferred to another restorer in 2019 when a candle was allegedly added to the top left corner to make it less recognizable. It remains unclear who added the candle, but it was the same painting that Sgarbi presented at an exhibition in Lucca in 2021.

Sgarbi claims that the painting on display is the original version of ‘The Capture of St. Peter’, which he claims to have found while restoring an abandoned villa his mother bought in Viterbo in 2000. He argues that the painting stolen from the castle is a “bad copy” produced in the 19th century and accuses the restorer of making these claims “in revenge” for a debt owed to him.

Opposition parties have called for Sgarbi’s dismissal.

Source: Newsroom & ItalyNews