The Rome newspaper La Repubblica reports that just the premises in which the collection is stored costs the family 800,000 euros, equivalent to approximately 9.3 million kroner, a year.
A sum that may not burn a hole in the wallet of the family of the media mogul and billionaire who passed away in June. The problem is that the money goes to preserving junk, at least in the finely calibrated eyes of an art connoisseur.
According to the billionaire’s relatives, as quoted in Italian media according to English The Guardian, the collection was the result of “sleepless nights” as Berlusconi “maniacally” bid on works of art in televised auctions. The focus was on quantity rather than quality.
Friend, art critic and former Member of Parliament Vittorio Sgarbi states that only six or seven of the 25,000 paintings have any artistic value. The most common motifs are described as naked women, Madonna images and landscapes.
But the collection is in poor condition. Many of the paintings are worm-eaten and the family now seems to be saying “Basta!”. They have decided to save the few valuable works – and burn the rest, according to La Repubblica.
— I don’t know if they have already started to destroy them. But I know that, at least artistically, it would not be a crime, says Sgarbi.