The General Directorate of Customs detected fraudulent maneuvers of a "art dealr» and has already taken legal action against him. According to reports, the art dealer declared the paintings as anonymous works to hide their true value, despite knowing their authorship.
It was found that The images presented to Customs for export differed from the real paintingsIn one case, the artist's signature was digitally removed, while in the other, the image presented did not correspond directly to the work in question. For this reason, the organization headed by Guillermo Michel decided to stop his departure from the country.
It is estimated that the value of the same, jointly declared at US$ 4.700, is also false.
Following the discovery of the scheme, the agency conducted a retrospective investigation into other exports made by the same art dealer and discovered additional irregularities. The man had declared five paintings sold to Canada and the United States as anonymous, recording their value at US$ 4.466. However, Customs found that the value was actually US$ 213.192, almost 50 times higher.
The greatest difference between values is seen in an oil on canvas of the artist François Hyacinthe RigaudThe dealer had declared the value of the work at US$ 1.818; however, it was later found that it was sold to the French Ministry of Culture and Communication for no less than US$ 200.000. The transaction, carried out at the Sotheby's auction house, detailed all the data that the exporter had originally claimed to be unaware of.
Another example is a watercolor of the Israeli artist Reuven Rubin, sold for $3.750 in 2019 by auction house Shapiro (which gave its estimated value at $3000-$5000), had previously been declared at $1.551.
In turn, an oil on canvas attributed to Giuseppe Vicenzino, Italian artist The 5.292th century painting was sold for US$557,10 by Christie's in the United States. The art dealer declared its value to be only $139,90. Likewise, an oil on canvas supposedly valued at US$750, claiming that the artist's name was illegible, was published at US$XNUMX, attributed to the Polish artist Angela Schatz Merson, entitled “The Reading”.
Finally, a canvas entitled "Flowers", by Chinese artist Jia Sen, was declared at US$400 when leaving Argentina, despite having been later published at US$3400 once abroad.
According to reports, the dealer of the works could face a prison sentence of 2 to 8 years. The complaint is being processed before the National Court for Economic Criminal Matters No. 6.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
