Two businessmen detained in Turkey while trying to sell a van Dyck painting

Two businessmen were taken into custody by the Turkish authorities after they tried to sell a painting allegedly brought into the country by smuggling. The painting belongs to the brush of the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (Anthony van Dyck). According to unofficial information, the detainees are Turkish citizens.

An undercover Turkish police officer came to meet with the smugglers, the deal was supposed to be 14 million lire ($ 4.6 million). According to the investigation, the picture was stolen in Georgia, and then, through the territory of Russia, brought to Turkey. Currently, the painting is at the art historians of Mimar Sinan University.

A resident of Georgia Eka Abashidze has already claimed her rights to the painting. Her family has owned the subject of art for over 15 years. Five years ago, they decided to sell the painting, for only 37 thousand dollars, however, the buyers, Zakhir Huseynov and Malkhaz Makharadze, paid only 7 thousand dollars. A lawsuit was filed for fraud, but while the proceedings were ongoing, buyers managed to get permission to export the painting from the country. According to Huseynov, he did not know about the real value of the work; experts in the Ministry of Culture of Georgia estimated the masterpiece a little more than 2 thousand US dollars when processing documents. He also reported that after the painting was brought to Turkey, it was stolen.

Currently, the Turkish authorities are deciding on whom to return the picture.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru