Monet's Nympheas Avec Reflets de Hautes Herbes (Waterlilies with Reflections of Tall Grass) at Sotheby's auction house in London in 2013.
PETALING JAYA: Twelve artworks involved in the 1MDB scandal are on their way back to Malaysia, say graft busters.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said the United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ) has agreed to return the artworks worth more than US$30mil (RM122.79mil) as part of the recovery of assets.
The artworks, which are linked to former 1MDB associate Jasmine Loo, are currently in the DOJ’s custody and held by the auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s in the US.
Below are details and history of some of the artworks involved in the scandal, as well as others seized earlier. Many of the artworks were bought by 1MDB fugitive Jho Low and his associates.
Waterlilies with Reflections of Tall Grass by the French Impressionist pioneer Claude Monet was inspired by the artist’s own lily pond. This oil painting was reportedly bought by Low in June 2014 from a Sotheby’s sale for US$57.5mil with funds traceable to 1MDB, according to the DOJ. The ownership of the painting, seized by Swiss authorities in 2016, is currently contested by an art dealer.
Pablo Picasso's L’Écuyère et les clowns (The Horsewoman and the Clowns), painted in 1961, is a famous circus-themed lithograph by Picasso. The artist had a lifelong fascination with circus life and characters.- Artnet
This pen-and-ink drawing by the Dutch master Vincent van Gogh of his residence in Arles, France, was bought in November 2013 for US$5.5 million at a Christie’s sale by an associate of Jho Low. The DOJ alleged that the artwork was paid for using money traceable to the 1MDB fund. The drawing was seized by Swiss authorities on July 21, 2016. - DOJ
Painted in 1982, Jean-Michel Basquiat's Diamond Dustheads was once the most expensive work by the neo-expressionist artist after it was sold in 2013 to Low for USD48.8mil with funds DOJ claimed were traceable to 1MDB. However, it was later sold by Low at a loss.
This crayon-and-felt-pen self portrait by Basquiat was surrendered to the DOJ by The Wolf of Wall Street producer Joey McFarland, who received it as a gift from Low.
French painter, Maurice Utrillo, specialised in cityscapes. This painting - Maison de Rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, Rue St Vincent, Montmartre - was painted in 1934.
Picasso's 1939 piece Tête de taureau et broc (Head of a Bull and Pitcher) was one of four artworks surrendered to the DOJ in connection to 1MDB and put on auction online earlier this year. Also included in the auction was another Basquiat's piece, Red Man One. Both these artworks were supposedly bought by Low and gifted to the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, with a handwritten note bearing his initials.
This black and white photo by Diane Arbus, Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, NYC, was bought by Low for USD750,000 in 2013. It was one of four artworks surrendered to the DOJ and put up for online auction earlier this year. The photo is said to have partly inspired the cartoon character Bart Simpson.
