The Burden of Berlusconi's Art Collection Troubling His Heirs

Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi has ridiculed the vast art collection of the late Silvio Berlusconi. Sgarbi claims that the 25,000 paintings are mostly low-quality and of little to no value. Berlusconi, who passed away in June, acquired many of these artworks from late-night telesales programs. Managing this extensive collection has become a headache for his descendants. The billionaire's purchases are stored in a 3,200sqm warehouse near his Milan mansion and include paintings of Madonnas, explicit images of women, and cityscapes of various European cities. Sgarbi believes that only around six or seven paintings out of 25,000 hold any artistic value. The entire collection is estimated to be worth €20m, averaging €800 per painting. Despite owning higher-quality paintings by renowned artists like Titian and Rembrandt, it seems that Berlusconi was an impulsive buyer who knew the worthlessness of many of his purchases. Berlusconi's heirs now find themselves burdened by this expansive collection, which costs around €800,000 per year to maintain. Some of the artworks have already been damaged by woodworms, with the cost of extermination exceeding the value of the paintings in some cases.