French Authorities Seize $200 Million in Stolen Russian Avant-Garde Masterpieces
The works—linked to art legends like Malevich and Kandinsky—remain in legal limbo pending a separate German court ruling.
French authorities have secured 135 paintings worth more than $200 million following allegations they were stolen from the Khatib family in 2019. The trove—featuring works attributed to Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, Natalia Goncharova, and El Lissitzky—was confiscated from ArtAnalysis in Paris. The collector Uthman Khatib alleges that 1,800 total pieces went missing from a storage facility in Germany.
A Paris court sided with the Khatib family after the alleged thief, Mozes Frisch, and his associates attempted to sue for ownership and damages. Investigations reveal that some paintings may have been sold in Israel, Monaco, and France. The Frankfurt am Main Regional Court has also ordered the seizure of additional works. The recovered paintings will remain with a Paris court bailiff until the Frankfurt court determines the final outcome.
ART Walkway News
