Viseu, Portugal
Latest news and stories from Penalva do Castelo.
A Judicial Police investigation was opened a month ago after the market appearance of a small portion of the 278 seized works raised suspicions. A septuagenarian from Penalva do Castelo was found selling them.
Now everything is his, but Judite disagrees, so the butler has been named a formal suspect and the paintings are under the custody of the courts.
Few neighbours knew what he did, only that he was the employer of another local man. When he died, the house passed to the butler, who was caught while trying to sell works of art to France.
Almost 300 works, valued at millions of euros, were seized by the Judicial Police.
Nearly 300 works, valued at millions of euros, seized by the Judiciary Police.
Authorities seized nearly 300 works of art from the home of an American who died in 2024 in Penalva do Castelo. The pieces were going to be sold by the house butler.
The authenticity of the pieces has yet to be confirmed. The owner has already passed away, but it is suspected that he was linked to international money laundering.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) seized 278 works of art, allegedly by authors such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, David Hockney, Albrecht Dürer, Pierre Bonnard, and Juan Downey, in Penalva do Castelo, Viseu district, it was announced today.
Mega-seizure by the Judiciary Police in Penalva do Castelo
A massive art seizure was carried out from an employee of a US citizen who died two years ago. There are also archaeological and architectural works from various eras.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) recovered 278 works of art, allegedly belonging to an American citizen who passed away in 2024, which were in the possession of a former employee. Among the seized items, artworks were identified as allegedly created by 27 different authors, namely Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, David Hockney, Albrecht Dürer, Pierre Bonnard, and Juan Downey. The items include paintings, lithographs, serigraphs, sculptures, and archaeological objects, among other cultural assets, with some appearing to be artistic and architectural productions from the 'Before Christ' (B.C.) period, spanning Prehistory and Antiquity. The collection includes sculptures dated between the 1st century B.C. and the 18th century, as well as archaeological artifacts from the Neolithic and Greco-Roman periods, and from various origins such as Persia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Africa, China, and Syria. The recovery of these works followed a series of searches, both residential and non-residential, in Penalva do Castelo, in close collaboration with experts from the Machado de Castro National Museum. Investigations are ongoing, with the inquiry led by the Viseu DIAP.
A massive art seizure was carried out from an employee of a US citizen who died two years ago. There are also archaeological and architectural works from various eras.
