El Greco painting claimed by Romania withdrawn from auction until legal proceedings end

The New York branch of the famous auction house Christie’s has withdrawn the painting “Saint Sebastian” by El Greco from an ongoing auction. The measure will be in place until the legal proceedings initiated by Romania for its recovery are finalized, according to an announcement made on Monday, June 16, by the Ministry of Finance.

Back in March, the Romanian state managed to block the sale of the painting at the same auction house. Now, Christie’s said it will hold the masterpiece until Romania’s recovery claims are resolved by the courts.

The Government claims that the masterpiece, which belonged to the first king of Romania, Carol I, disappeared from Romania’s national collection. Its value is estimated at between USD 7 million and USD 9 million.

“By suspending the auction scheduled at Christie’s New York, there is a guarantee that [the painting] will be safely preserved until the final recovery efforts are concluded. Since January 2025, legal actions have been initiated, and an international team of lawyers selected by Romania was mandated to ensure the recovery of El Greco’s painting, as it belongs to the national cultural heritage of the Romanian State,” said finance minister and deputy prime minister Tánczos Barna.

Romania’s rivals in the suit are the consignor of the painting and fugitive Paul Philippe of Romania, who claims to be the rightful owner of the artwork. The latter fled Romania in 2020 after being convicted in a case regarding the illegal restitution of real estate near Bucharest, which authorities stated he claimed without legal merit. He was sentenced in Romania to three years and four months in prison.

El Greco’s "San Sebastian" was part of the collection of the Romanian Royal Crown and later came into the possession of King Michael. Previous public reports suggest he sold the masterpiece to a major Franco-American art dealer. The painting was subsequently acquired through Giraud Pissarro Segalot by its current owner in 2010.

(Photo source: Ministerul Finantelor Facebook Page)