SHAH ALAM, Oct 17 — Malaysia has initiated efforts to recover Jean-Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso artworks that were purchased using funds linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the ministry (Motac), through the National Visual Arts Development Board (LPSVN), has submitted official requests to several government agencies to obtain more information and offer its assistance.
Among those reached out to were the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the 1MDB Task Force chaired by Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
He said the LPSVN also contacted the legal team handling 1MDB asset recovery to seek updates from the United States Justice Department (DOJ) on the seized artworks.
“Based on feedback received, some of the artworks seized by the DOJ have already been liquidated, and the proceeds have been returned to the Malaysian government,” Tiong said in a written Parliamentary reply, without elaborating.
He was responding to Gombak MP Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s query on Motac’s efforts to recover Basquiat and Picasso paintings linked to 1MDB funds that were seized and auctioned off.
Previously, it was reported that Low Taek Jho, the mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal, had used shell companies to purchase artworks by famous artists to launder stolen funds. These works were then gifted to celebrities and other prominent individuals.
Last month, four artworks, including Basquiat’s Self Portrait (1982) and Red Man One (1982), as well as Picasso’s Tête de taureau et broc (1939), were put up for auction in an online sale hosted by the US Marshals Service, fetching a combined US$36 million (RM152.1 million).
On plans to expand the National Art Gallery’s collection as a tourist attraction, Tiong said the LPSVN submits annual requests for special allocations under the Federal budget.
It also encourages individuals and corporate bodies to contribute artworks or funds to the board, offering tax exemptions for such donations.
