Ukraine Launches Database of Sanctioned Russians' Artworks

Ukraine's National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP) has launched an online database cataloging artworks owned by Russian oligarchs under Western sanctions for their ties to the invasion of Ukraine. The database currently lists 300 pieces, including Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi and Andy Warhol's Four Marilyns, with the goal of preventing sanctioned individuals from selling these assets to evade sanctions. The NACP stated that the platform aims to make it easier for art market participants to verify the provenance of works, thereby hindering oligarchs from liquidating their holdings. The database is part of a broader anti-corruption website and includes works by Francis Bacon, Alberto Giacometti, Ilya Kabakov, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, and Damien Hirst. Notable oligarchs featured include Roman Abramovich, who reportedly owns a Francis Bacon triptych, Alberto Giacometti's Woman of Venice I, and eight albums by Ilya Kabakov valued at $163.9 million; Dmitry Rybolovlev, who purchased Salvator Mundi (later sold at Christie's for $450 million); and Mikhail Fridman, who acquired Warhol's Four Marilyns. The database also lists Viatcheslav Kantor, rapper Timur Yunusov, and Dasha Zhukova, who sits on boards of LACMA and the Met. The total value of artworks tracked is around $1.3 billion. The NACP invites public submissions to update the list, though verifying ownership remains challenging due to opaque ownership structures.