Economy

Medvedchuk’s first 16 paintings sold at auction

The first 16 seized paintings from the collection of former MP Viktor Medvedchuk were auctioned off. They fetched almost 317 thousand hryvnias. This was announced by the head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) Olena Duma, Komersant ukrainskyi reports

“The first 16 paintings from the traitor’s collection have been sold through Prozorro.Sale. The total amount is almost 317 thousand hryvnias, which will go to the economy and military bonds, respectively, to support the defense capability of our state,” Duma said.

The most expensive painting under the hammer was “Rural Landscape with a River” for UAH 76 thousand.

According to her, the ARMA will add new lots of Medvedchuk’s seized paintings every day. In particular, the famous “Cubs in a Pine Forest” and a portrait of the former MP will be sold in the near future.

“The next 19 are tomorrow! Another 120 paintings are waiting for the auction. All the funds will be used to support the economy and the Armed Forces,” the official emphasized.

This is a collection of 146 paintings that belonged to Viktor Medvedchuk. These works were estimated by experts at almost UAH 4 million.

In total, 285 seized paintings of the former MP were transferred to the ARMA, 149 of which were recognized as cultural heritage of Ukraine by experts of the National Art Museum.

Earlier, this collection of 136 paintings was estimated at almost UAH 4 million.

Among the most expensive works:

• uAH 392.5 thousand – Composition with boats (author unknown),
• uAH 374.4 thousand – Afternoon in the Crimea (by Lev Vitikovsky),
• 349 thousand UAH – Three (by Konstantin Stoylov),
• uAH 284.8 thousand – Horses (author unknown),
• 170.1 thousand UAH – Act or Spaniard (by Serhiy Reznichenko),
• 170.1 thousand UAH – Still Life with a Chair (by Serhii Reznichenko),
• 175.8 thousand UAH – Girl with a Watermelon (by Serhii Reznichenko),
• 107.3 thousand UAH – Mountain landscape (by Mykhailo Sapatiuk),
• uAH 71.5 thousand – Crimean flavor (by Natalia Muravska),
• uAH 60.7 thousand – Christmas Day in Zhdeniyiv (by Yurii Herts),
• 54.2 thousand UAH – Bears in a pine forest (author unknown).

One of the cheapest paintings is a portrait of Medvedchuk himself, estimated at UAH 5.2 thousand.

The ARMA also emphasized that experts from the National Art Museum of Ukraine examined 285 paintings, of which 149 were recognized as having cultural and historical significance.

These paintings were planned to be transferred to museums in Ukraine, but the draft law No. 11280-1, which regulates the management of cultural property and other assets, did not receive the required number of votes in parliament.

Therefore, until the changes that the agency will initiate next are approved, the paintings will be stored as material evidence at the National Art Museum.

Medvedchuk’s arrest

On April 12, 2022, Medvedchuk himself was arrested as a result of a special SBU operation. He is a defendant in several criminal cases of treason and economic crimes.

on September 21, Viktor Medvedchuk was exchanged for Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia. As a result, 215 Ukrainian defenders were returned from captivity.