Arte Documentary Dissects the Dark Side of the Global Art Market
A new three-part documentary series, "L'Oligarque et le Marchand d'art" by Andreas Dalsgaard, premiering in 2026 on Arte, investigates the scandal between Swiss freeport king Yves Bouvier and Russian billionaire Dmitri Rybolovlev. In 2015, Bouvier was arrested in Monaco after Rybolovlev accused him of inflating commissions on masterpieces by Gauguin, Klimt, Magritte, Rothko, and Van Gogh, allegedly pocketing $1 billion—half the collection's value. The series delves into opaque offshore storage, tax fraud, and the $450 million sale of the Salvator Mundi, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which Rybolovlev bought from Bouvier for $127 million and sold at auction four years later. The documentary also implicates Monaco authorities and Sotheby's.
Key facts
- Documentary series 'L'Oligarque et le Marchand d'art' by Andreas Dalsgaard, 2026.
- Focuses on Yves Bouvier and Dmitri Rybolovlev scandal.
- Bouvier arrested in Monaco in 2015 after Rybolovlev's complaint.
- Bouvier allegedly took $1 billion in secret commissions on art purchases.
- Works by Gauguin, Klimt, Magritte, Rothko, Van Gogh involved.
- Salvator Mundi sold for $127M by Bouvier to Rybolovlev, later auctioned for $450M.
- Series explores tax fraud, state scandals, and opaque art market.
- Implicates Monaco authorities and Sotheby's.
Entities
Artists
- Yves Bouvier
- Dmitri Rybolovlev
- Paul Gauguin
- Gustav Klimt
- René Magritte
- Mark Rothko
- Vincent van Gogh
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Andreas Dalsgaard
Institutions
- Arte
- Sotheby's
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Centre Pompidou
- Arte.tv
Locations
- Monaco
- Geneva
- Paris
- Île Seguin
- Switzerland