Italian Culture Minister Resigns Amid Antitrust Probe and Stolen Art Allegations

Vittorio Sgarbi has resigned as Italy's junior culture minister following an antitrust investigation into €300,000 he received over nine months for participating in art events while in office. The former minister claimed he was paid standard fees for lectures and discussions as an art critic, but authorities questioned whether these activities constituted a conflict of interest with his political role. Sgarbi faces separate accusations involving two paintings: he allegedly altered a stolen 17th-century work by Rutilio Manetti, adding a candle to The Capture of Saint Peter to conceal its provenance after it was taken from a Piedmont castle in 2013, and is suspected of involvement in illegally exporting a piece by French artist Valentin de Boulogne, though he denies both claims and asserts the latter is a copy. Previously condemned by MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art staff in Rome for sexist remarks during a 2023 public appearance where he made controversial statements about sexuality, Sgarbi was also removed as mayor of Salemi in Sicily in 2012 due to Mafia infiltration. A member of Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government, his resignation was prompted by the antitrust notice, which he said prevented him from discussing art to avoid conflicts. Il Fatto Quotidiano first reported the payment figure.