×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Sunday
03
May 2026
weather symbol
Athens 8°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev’s lawsuit against Sotheby’s, alleging art fraud, is unsuccessful.

Among the artworks that were the subject of the trial was the Leonardo da Vinci painting “Salvator Mundi"

Newsroom January 31 06:16

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev on Tuesday lost a New York federal court lawsuit in which he had accused the Sotheby’s auction house of helping an art buyer defraud the oligarch by having him grossly overpay for various pieces of art.

A jury after several hours of deliberations found for Sotheby’s on all counts in Rybolovlev’s civil suit. The case related to more than $100 million in purchases the 57-year-old fertilizer magnate made through art buyer Yves Bouvier.

Bouvier for more than a decade had acted as the billionaire’s agent, helping him buy 38 masterworks for more than $2 billion.

Rybolovlev’s suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said he believed that Bouvier was conducting “hard-fought negotiations with sellers” on his behalf, when in reality, he was inflating the actual sales prices by nearly 100%.

The suit said Sotheby’s, as a broker for the transactions, helped Bouvier “justify the fraudulent prices he charged” Rybolovlev’s companies Accent Delight International Limited and Xitrans Finance Limited.

See Also:

The Top-20 under-construction big infrastructure projects in Greece in 2024

“It knew the actual prices Bouvier paid to the sellers and the fraudulently inflated prices Bouvier induced Plaintiffs to pay to him,” the suit said.

Among the four artworks that were the subject of the trial was the Leonardo da Vinci painting “Salvator Mundi,” which Bouvier purchased from Sotheby’s for $83 million only to sell it a day later to Rybolovlev for $127.5 million. Rybolovlev later sold the piece at an auction through Christie’s in 2017 for $450.3 million, a record price for a painting.

At trial, Sotheby’s lawyer Sara Shudofsky told jurors that Rybolovlev was “trying to make an innocent party pay for what somebody else did to him.”

>Related articles

Economist: Piraeus and Elefsina at the heart of global port rivalry — The U.S.–China “naval battle”

U.S. Policy voices meet academia: AHI President joins Georgetown panel on Cyprus

Trump escalates clash with Merz and withdraws 5,000 troops from Germany: What it means for NATO and Europe

“Sotheby’s didn’t know anything about those lies,” Shudofsky said. “Sotheby’s had no knowledge of and didn’t participate in any misconduct.”

After the verdict on Tuesday in its favor, the auction house in a statement said the decision “reaffirms Sotheby’s long-standing commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and professionalism in all aspects of the art market.”

Continue here: CNBC

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#businessman#court case#new york#russia#sotheby's#US
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

26 ancient artifacts repatriated to Greece from seizures in the USA, see photos

May 3, 2026

Trump: I will soon examine Iran’s new plan, but I cannot imagine that it will be accepted

May 3, 2026

Economist: Piraeus and Elefsina at the heart of global port rivalry — The U.S.–China “naval battle”

May 2, 2026

Athens Reshape hosts Circular Economy Fair on May 10 at Impact Hub Athens

May 2, 2026

Marc Poll for Proto Thema: New Democracy rebounds after measures and Macron — and ahead of two new parties

May 2, 2026

Lost in degrees: Why Greece produces graduates the market doesn’t need

May 2, 2026

U.S. Policy voices meet academia: AHI President joins Georgetown panel on Cyprus

May 2, 2026

The global yacht elite in Greece: Stunning images from the 11th Mediterranean Yacht Show in Nafplio

May 2, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα