Scott Reyburn's article "What the Panama Papers Reveal About the Art Market" was published by the New York Times on April 11, 2016. The Panama Papers are a leaked set of documents that have revealed the dubious use of shell companies to avoid taxes, settlements, and other legal requirements. They have also showed a lot about business of selling art. In the article, Reyburn goes through three different ways people have handled art illegally. Recently, a set of artwork curated by famous art collectors was sold at a huge price. The papers however reveal that the curators were not the ones selling. They had already sold them to an individual who turned around and sold again for a profit. Many believe this collection would not have sold for such a high price if the curators' names were not attached to it. Additionally, during a divorce preceding, a man moved his expensive artwork into the ownership of shell company so his wife could not acquire it. Lastly, a man trying to get a hold of a piece of artwork taken from his grandfather was facing legal problems due to illegal actions taken by those who currently own the piece.
The Panama Papers are just some of the many infamous documents that have been leaked over the course of history. The Pentagon Papers, released during Nixon's presidency, revealed that both the American people and Congress had been lied to concerning the situation surrounding the Vietnam War. More recently, Edward Snowden released thousands of National Security Agency (NSA) documents that showed that the government had placed mass surveillance on the public. These leaks have always sparked controversy, but they have also for the most part caused changes in society. Hopefully, the art world will start treating art with more respect and act by the law when dealing with art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden#Release_of_NSA_documents
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