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Oracle of DelphiThe Riddle of William M V Kingsland
August 16th 2008 03:29
The FBI Art Crimes Quandry
New York Art writer William M V Kingsland was a marginally recognized figure within the community who collected, reflected and researched fine art. Over the years his acquisitions grew and when he died in 2006 it was discovered he left no heir. Christie’s Auction House and Stair Galleries were brought in to catalogue and sell the prestigious works from the Kingsland House.
From the F.B.I. website-
“More than 300 works of art—paintings, sketches, sculptures, and other pieces by such artists as Pablo Picasso, John Singleton Copley, Alberto Giacometti, Giorgio Morandi, and Eugene Boudin—were discovered after the death of the apartment’s occupant, William M.V. Kingsland.”
The mystery revealed itself when a valuable John Singleton painting sold for $85,000 before the discovery that it was in fact stolen several decades earlier. The F.B.I was called in and an investigation revealed that numerous prized items had also been the product of theft’s dating back to the 1960’s.
Also from the FBI website:
“One Bizarre side note: A mover hired by the Public Administrator’s Office to transport the contents of Kingsland’s apartment to a warehouse was charged for stealing two Picasso sketches each valued at approximately $30,000. And, it turns out that was not the first time those two sketches had been stolen…sometime before they ended up in Kingsland’s collection they were stolen from a New York art gallery around 1967!”
The FBI also found that William M V Kingsland was an enigmatic figure who had seldom let visitors inside his house and had changed his name from Melvyn Kohn years earlier.
Now they are asking for help in solving the crime and trying to siphon out the stolen goods from the estate. You can see images of some of the most important pieces by visting www.fbi.gov
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