Italian minister resigns amid stolen painting probe

Italian minister Vittorio Sgarbi resigns amidst accusations of stealing and altering a 17th-century painting to hide its provenance.

Vittorio Sgarbi, culture minister is accused of stealing the 17th-Century painting and altering it to conceal its provenance.

Italian junior culture minister Vittorio Sgarbi has resigned amidst allegations of laundering stolen goods, which he vehemently denies.

Sgarbi made the announcement prior to commencing a lecture in Milan, stating his resignation was to preempt a conflict of interest.

Prosecutors are probing accusations against Sgarbi, a renowned art critic, regarding the theft and alteration of a 17th-Century painting titled “The Capture of Saint Peter.”

The painting, attributed to Rutilio Manetti, a follower of the Baroque master Caravaggio, was reported stolen in 2013 from a castle in Piedmont, northern Italy, where it was exhibited.

Sgarbi is alleged to have modified the painting by adding a candle to the upper corner, purportedly to obscure its origins.

The politician contends that he discovered the artwork while renovating a villa purchased by his mother over two decades ago. He asserts that the painting is authentic, whereas the one stolen in 2013 was a replica.

These allegations emerged during an investigation conducted by the program Report on the Italian television network Rai.

The owner of the castle, who reported the theft of the painting, informed journalists that the canvas was removed from its frame in 2013. She also disclosed that a friend of Sgarbi had visited the property earlier and expressed interest in acquiring the artwork.

The program also revealed that another acquaintance of the politician subsequently transferred a damaged painting titled “The Capture of Saint Peter” to a restorer. This painting was noted to have a hole matching the shape of a piece of canvas cut out from the Piedmont castle frame in 2013. When the restored artwork was exhibited by Mr. Sgarbi in 2021, it featured the addition of a candle in the top corner.

The junior minister is also under scrutiny for another piece: a painting attributed to the French artist Valentin de Boulogne, with an estimated worth of €5m (£4.3m), which was confiscated by police in Montecarlo. Mr. Sgarbi is being probed by a prosecutor for allegedly illegally exporting the painting. He contends that it is a replica and not his property.