Van Dyck ‘Smuggler’ Claims Picture was Legally Transported to Turkey
Georgian businessman Malkhaz Makharadze and Azerbaijani businessman and Gardabani resident, Zahir Huseynov, purchasers in 2010 of a painting recently discovered in Istanbul and confirmed as a genuine work of famous 17th century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, have said that it was bought in Tbilisi and legally transported to Turkey with the help of the Georgian Ministry of Culture.
Turkish media reported the arrest of the two businessmen in Turkey, who were accused of smuggling the valuable Van Dyck picture from Georgia. Both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia have denied a connection to Georgia or Georgian citizens. The investigation revealed that the picture had arrived in Georgia via Russia from Europe. The artwork has been valued at USD 14 million.
Members of the Abashidze family from Tbilisi claim that the painting was their property until 2010, having been bought in a thrift shop 15 years prior for USD 5,000. They further claimed they were forced to sell it on for financial reasons, unaware of the identity of the artist who had painted it.
“Two men came to us- Malkhaz Makharadze and Zahir Huseynov,” said Eka Abashidze, one of the previous owners of the Van Dyck. “We agreed to sell them the painting for USD 37,000. We were then given USD 7,000, and they disappeared with the picture. We waited for them to come and bring us the remaining amount, and when we realized that they weren’t planning on paying us, we did everything we could to contact them. Huseynov always answered the phone, talked to us, but always lied. We eventually took them to court.”
“Me and my friend Malkhaz Makharadze bought the painting from the Abashidze family with full observance of rules,” Zahir Huseynov told TV channel Rustavi 2. “We had all the necessary documents when we took the canvas to Turkey. Everything was legal. We left the painting at my friend’s house, but as we later found out, my friend’s son stole it. We filed a lawsuit with the local Prosecutor’s Office, though the case has yet to be investigated.”
Art historians in Georgia say they had no knowledge of the Anthony van Dyck artwork having been in Tbilisi.
Van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after enjoying great success in Italy and Flanders (present-day Belgium). Van Dyck completed some 800 paintings before his death at the age of 42 in 1641.
Dimitri Dolaberidze