Picture, allegedly belonging to Rembrandt School, was attempted to be taken away from Uzbekistan

On November 7, according to the ordinance of Yakkasaray district Criminal Court of Tashkent city, the graphic painting, which is estimated for several million euros, was confiscated as physical evidence prior to the court’s decision, Kun.uz correspondent reported referring to centralasian.org.

Andrei Plujnikov, 50, son of the collector Nikolai Plujnikov, who died in 2004, says that three days before his death, his father told him that there was a Rembrandt painting in his collection.

“My father called me and showed a picture made with a quill pen. He told me: “This is the most expensive painting”. According to his father, he took this picture as a trophy during the attack on Berlin in 1945. In accordance with the inscription behind the picture, it was brought to Germany in 1940. “I have an expert opinion from the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan confirming that this picture really belongs to Rembrandt,” Andrei Plujnikov said.

After having learned that the price of the painting at world auctions is twelve million euros, in 2014 Andrei handed it to Kamil Yuldashev, who sells artworks. “While transferring the picture to Yuldashev, famous restorer Dilshod Azizov was next to me,” Plujnikov says. According to him, having obtained the painting, Yuldashev completely disappeared without a trace.

“I complained to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and prosecutor’s office about the fraudster. As a result, a criminal case was initiated. The picture was found on June 14, 2018 in the baggage of Rafael Fuzailov, when he was about to fly from Tashkent to Israel. The act of confiscation of the painting was signed by Mukhamedjanov, the head of Investigation Department 18 of the Prosecutor General’s Office,” Andrei Plujnikov said.

The case of the confiscated picture is under special control of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Uzbekistan. According to the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office, investigation of the criminal case has been completed. The case is delivered to court. In fact, the matter was quite different. Plujnikov sold the picture to Yuldashev at his own will, signs of fraud were not detected. Currently, the court is holding forensic debates. The picture was tried to be smuggled out of Uzbekistan. It is temporarily confiscated until the final decision of court ruling. Then the further fate of this picture will be determined. Currently, it is the material evidence in a criminal case.

Decision on the confiscated picture was postponed to the next meeting. The Commission for the Artistic Expertise of the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan provided a preliminary opinion, which states that “the picture has historical and artistic value. Reportedly, it is believed to belong to the Rembrandt School”.