News Articles Library Event Photos Contact Search


Displaying items by tag: indicted

A house painter from Pennsylvania is accused of stealing six paintings, including an etching by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), from an estate in Long Island, NY. Joselito Vega, who was caught on camera during a sting operation, was hired in 2011 to fix flood damage to the house of renowned art collectors Hannelore and Rudolph Schulhof. The couple’s 350-piece collection includes works by Jasper Johns (b. 1930), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), and Picasso.

Officials launched their investigation of Vega after Hannelore Schulhof’s death in 2012. A subsequent inventory of the Schulhof’s collection revealed that three paintings were missing. Among the missing works were Jean Dubuffet’s (1901-1985) Le Fauteuil II, which is said to be worth $50,000, Frank Stella’s (b. 1936) Tuftonboro, and Norman Lewis’ (1909-1979) Flower. Officials were able to track the Dubuffet painting to a gallery in Oakland, CA, which brokered the sale of the painting to a buyer for $8,500.    

Officials arrested Vega after a sting operation last week during which he attempted to steal three more works from the Schulhof’s home including the Picasso etching, Three Graces II, which is valued at $100,000. He also made off with Dubuffet’s Chien and Yaacov Agam’s (b. 1928) Presence de Rhythmes.

Vega was indicted on charges of money laundering, identity theft, and grand larceny. He is currently being held on $1 million bail and faces up to 11 years in prison. He faces an additional grand larceny charge in Nassau County, which could add another 15 years in prison to his sentence.

Published in News

Known for her extravagant shoe collection, one-time Philippine first lady, Imelda Marcos, also accrued an admirable art collection during her late husband’s reign. Marcos’ former secretary, Vilma Bautisa, was indicted on Tuesday, November 20th, on charges of conspiracy, tax fraud, and offering a false instrument for filing, all relating to artworks that had previously belonged to Marcos. 74-year-old Bautista acquired a number of important paintings from Marcos and her husband, Ferdinand, after his regime came crashing down in 1986 after a citizen revolt.

The Manhattan District Attorney hit Bautista, a New York resident, with charges that she was conspiring to sell paintings that were the legal property of the Philippine government. The District Attorney’s office claims that Bautista used false paperwork to sell Le Bassin aux Nymphéas (1899) from Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series in September 2010 for $32 million. The other works in Bautista’s possession are Monet’s L’Eglise et La Seine a Vétheuil (1881), Alfred Sisley’s Langland Bay (1887), and Albert Marquet’s Le Cypres de Djenan Sidi Said (1946). The four paintings involved in the suit once hung in a Manhattan town house used by Imelda Marcos and her husband.

Two of Bautista’s nephews were also charged but did not appear in court. Bautista pleaded not guilty and was released on a $175,000 bond.

Published in News
Events