The Romanian government has blocked the sale of Saint Sebastian by El Greco at Christie’s next month.
The painting was scheduled to be sold as part of the Old Masters sale at Christie’s New York in March. It was expected to fetch between $7 million and $9 million. However, the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, blocked the sale. Ciolacu and a team of lawyers approached the Paris Judicial Tribunal to block the sale, and would likely pursue further action to get the painting in their possession.
El Greco was a 16th-century Greek artist who created Saint Sebastian around 1610-14. In 1898, it was acquired by King Carol I of Romania. In 1899, it was granted to the Royal Crown of Romania. In 1947, it returned to King Michael of Romania. In 1976, it left Romania for the first time and was given to a New York gallery. Provenance documents specify that it was acquired by the group Giraud Pissarro Segalot in 2010, but do not mention where the work was for 15 years before it was scheduled for auction at Christie’s this month.
Also Read: British Council Plans To Sell Half Its Collection To Repay Loans
A Christie’s spokesperson said: “We received an inquiry about the work. Christie’s takes these matters seriously and out of an abundance of caution is withdrawing the lot at this time We look forward to selling this unique and spectacular work at a later date.” For now, the sale of the work has been halted until the end of the month, though Christie’s would have possession of the painting.
