An exhibition in Milan showcases over 80 artworks, including pieces by Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí, that were confiscated from criminal groups by Italian authorities.
Titled “SalvArti (Save Arts): From Confiscations to Public Collections,” the display at Palazzo Reale features paintings and sculptures recovered during crackdowns on organized crime. The collection includes Warhol’s “Summer Arts in the Parks” and Dalí’s lithograph of “Romeo and Juliet.”
The collection spans from the early 20th century to the 2000s. It was first shown in Rome and will remain in Milan until late January before moving to Reggio Calabria, a key mafia stronghold. The artworks will then be distributed to state museums across Italy.
Many of the pieces were seized from a boss of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia in 2016, while others came from a global money laundering network dismantled in 2013. The exhibition also includes photos and videos of police recovering the artworks, which were often used as currency in arms and drug trafficking.
In 2016, Italian police also recovered two Vincent Van Gogh paintings, stolen from Amsterdam in 2002, from a property linked to mafia boss Raffaele Imperiale. The paintings were valued at €50 million each.
