Picasso drawing
Most of the works were purchased at a price well above the estimated value of the auction house through which the artworks were sold, profit.ro notes.
Not only masterpieces
The highest sums were paid for two paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu, both for 170,000 euros.
A painting by avant-garde artist Victor Brauner reached a price of 150,000 euros.
In addition, a portrait of Nicolae Tonica’s wife, painted by him in his youth, went under the hammer for 76,000 euros, while a work by Nicolae Vermont from the cycle “Emigrants” went for 19,000 euros.
One of the works presented at the auction was Pablo Picasso’s “Bullfighting Scene” (1959), executed in ink on paper, signed, dated and dedicated “para el amigo Chaprate” (“for my friend Chaprate”). It is the first Picasso work (that is not a print, such as an etching or silkscreen) ever to be auctioned in Romania. The starting price was 8,000 euros. The drawing was sold for 28,000 euros.
Part of the collection of paintings by former minister Darius Vâlcova, which includes masterpieces by artists of museum value, was auctioned in a specialized house through an enforcement initiated by ANAF Craiova to compensate for the damages established by the final criminal judgment.
This collection was formed over approximately ten years from various sources, from local art auctions to international ones, including the renowned houses of Sotheby’s, Christie’s in London and Artcurial in Paris.
What the Romanian minister was convicted of
Former finance minister Darius Vylkov was sentenced by the High Court of Cassation in 2023 to six years in prison for influence peddling and money laundering. But last year his sentence was reduced to five years after this court accepted his appeal. In doing so, it upheld the decision to confiscate 6.2 million Romanian lei (1.22 million euros) from Darius Vylkov.
Earlier, former Finance Minister Darius Vylkov was wanted by the Romanian police. He surrendered to Italian authorities on May 23, 2023 in Naples. He was subsequently extradited to Romania.
