Monday, April 01, 2019

Stolen Art Watch, Stolen Picasso Buy-Back, Arthur Brand & Dick Ellis Buying Back Stolen Art By Paying Drug Dealers, Arms Dealers, Organise Crime Godfather's, Potentially Terrorists. Updated April 4th 2019

Yet to be revealed in the recovery of the stolen Picasso is the breakdown of payments made to the Criminal Underworld and the intentions of the insurance company who own the Picasso, after paying the Saudi Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik al-Sheikh U.S. $4.5 million/$4,500,000 back in 1999 when it was stolen.


 Richard "Dick" Ellis above

Dick Ellis received his usual 10% of insurance payout, meaning Dick Ellis will get U.S. four hundred and fifty thousand dollars $450,000.00


 Arthur Brand above

Arthur Brand will also get 10% of insurance payout U.S. four hundred and fifty thousand dollars $450,000.00


 Octave Durham Van Gogh Thief above

Octave Durham, the convicted Van Gogh thief, who actually delivered the stolen Picasso to Arthur Brand and Dick Ellis got U.S. one hundred and fifty thousand dollars $150,000.00


Rob Van Meeson Frans Hals Thief above

Rob Van Meeson, Frans Hals Thief, is a sidekick of Octave Durham, who was also present when the Stolen Picasso was handed to Arthur Brand and Dick Ellis got U.S. one hundred and fifty thousand dollars $150,000.00


Arthur Van Der Biezen Organised Crime Godfather lawyer 

 https://nunetherlands.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/lawyer-arthur-van-der-biezen-arrested-for-art-thief/

Represented by Lawyer Arthur Van der Biezen, The Organised Crime Godfather, who was the person holding the stolen Picasso got U.S. eight hundred thousand dollars $800,000.00

This means the outstanding bill for the insurance company is now U.S. $6,500,000.

The insurance company on the premise of the passage of time intends to try and seek a further U.S. $3.5 million $3,500,000 from the Saudi Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik al-Sheikhbefore they return his stolen Picasso to him.

Meaning the Saudi Sheikh has to pay the insurance company a total of $10 million to get his stolen Picasso back.

This may seem attractive given the stolen Picasso is now valued at $28 million, however, the Saudi Sheikh might take exception at the payments to criminal underworld thieves and Organised Crime Godfather, and feel the demands of the insurance company excessive.

Plan B is for the insurance company to claim full ownership and then sell the stolen Picasso at auction for somewhere between $20-£30 million, giving them a net profit of between $12 and $22 million.

Either of the above scenarios could see the Saudi  Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik al-Sheikh resorting to litigation and legal action.

It must also be remembered that another Picasso from the same year and only dated, not signed sold in 2015 for $68 million, see link:

Law Enforcement globally has raised their collective eyebrows at the actual recovery of the Stolen Picasso, a classic Buy-back of stolen art, without arrests or initial scrutiny, which will intensify if and when the actual payment amounts, and who exactly the payments went to, are revealed.

It is possible Arthur Brand could end up being regarded not as the Indiana Jones of the Art World, but as the 21st century Jonathon Wild of the art world.

How did we get here?
Recall Arthur Brand has made several high profile, high value art recoveries over the last few years, not least the Tamara De Lempicka, and Savador Dali which were also the subject of  stolen art Buy-backs from criminals.
In that case, once recovered, the Tamara De Lempicka was sold at auction for $9 million dollars and like with the stolen Picasso recently recovered, payments were made to criminals.
Dick Ellis & Arthur Brand got 10% of sale price, $900,000 between them
Dick Ellis, as ever, got the Lion share.
Also, Arthur Brand recovered a Salvador Dali which sold see below link:

Dick Ellis and Arthur Brand got 10% each for the Dali sale total $300,000
Arthur Brand used part of his share of the two above sales to pay some cash up front for the stolen Picasso, thereby allowing it to be released from the grip of the Organised Crime Godfather.

Once authenticated, the rest of the money for the stolen Picasso was paid to the two handlers, Octave Durham and Rob Van Meeson, and the Lawyer Arthur Van der Biezen representing the Organised Crime Godfather.

Dick Ellis history of buying back stolen art from criminals:

https://arthostage.blogspot.com/2016/04/stolen-art-watch-art-loss-registers.html

 https://arthostage.blogspot.com/2014/08/stolen-art-watch-foxes-guarding-hen.html

The mainstream media are playing catch up after the initial joy of the stolen Picasso being recovered, see links below:




Breaking News Update April 4th 2019:
 https://waddesdon.org.uk/about-us/governance/gold-box-theft/

Some of the 100+ gold boxes stolen from Lord Rothschild, Waddesdon Manor back in 2003 have been floating around the Dutch criminal underworld for years.
These could have been recovered years ago if payments were made to criminals.
The UK police and Law Enforcment warned Lord Rothschild and his agent, Charlie Hill, if he recovered his gold boxes by paying a ransom he could be in legal trouble himself.

 https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/sep/03/jasonburke.theobserver

Furthermore, The White Duck painting by Jean Baptiste Oudry stolen in Norfolk England, valued at $7.5 million and with a $150,000 public reward offered, has also been floating around the criminal underworld in the UK for years awaiting recovery, if the criminals get paid a ransom.

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-cezanne-stolen-in-the-perfect-art-heist-for-a-new-millennium

Not forgetting, the Ashmolean Cezanne valued at $10 million is available for 20,000 euros ransom via Charlie Hill, who was told if he recovered it would face possible prosecution.

Question is if any of these stolen artworks are recovered will the UK Police and Law Enforcement be as tolerant and forgiving as Dutch and French Police in the stolen Picasso case?

Alternatively, Arthur Brand can resort to being handed some looted antiquities stashed away by his close friend William Veres, to hand back for no fee, to deflect from the buy back of the stolen Picasso?
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/italian-police-crackdown-international-smuggling-ring-1313552
The Arthur Brand/Dick Ellis Extortion/Ransom Racket
Handing back looted antiquities for no fee gives cover to the high value buy backs of stolen art, which bring in huge amounts of cash.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul, you made this all up and you know it. Octave has nothing to do with this. I don't even know the laywer or that so-called 'God father'. I did not get paid apart from a small amount of expenses. The same as in the Dali-case. This is just making things up...

Anonymous said...

I sometimes read your blog but now I definitaly know you just write whatever you want. Complete nonsense

Anonymous said...

Arthur Brand (@brand_arthur)Twitter
01/04/2019, 13:18
Paul Hendry, convicted artthief and pimp, apparantly wants some media attention. He wrote the stupidiest article ever. the only name missing is Al Capone :-) Nobody got paid. Dream on Paulie.

arthostage.blogspot.com/2019/04/stolen…

Arthur said...

Paul, Arthur here again...

Your article is completely fake news. What you do is this: you put some pictures, some names of known artthieves, a lawyer and some amounts of money in one article. And then you present it as the truth. Are you just jealous? That you did not recover this Picasso? By the way, what did you recover in the last 100 years? Zero...

You also forget to mention that both Dutch and French police were involved and everything was declared ok. So you just make a fool of yourself. All the names you mention in your article have ZERO to do woth this case. And you know it damm well. It is just about your everylasting fight with Dick Ellis. Whenever he is involved in something, you start an attack, making things up.

You lost ALL your credibility with me. I don't even know the lawyer you mention and neither do you. But you portray him as a criminal. The criminal you talk about I have never heard of. The only person I know is Octave Durham. He is from the same town.

Paul, you are a lying scumbag. And if you want to discredit people, pick someone else. I am not the guy who walks away. You want a fight? You gotta get it.

Paul, a convicted pimp who once stole a minor painting thinks he knows better than the Dutch and French police... You know nothing.

See you with my next recovery... and eat your heart out.

Arthur said...

Oeps, I just saw that you never get a response anyway on one of your posts... What a sad story...

Does anyone read you at all?

Anonymous said...

Arthur Brand‏ @brand_arthur twitter

https://twitter.com/brand_arthur/status/1113026136534118400

Can we stop taking this Paul Hendry aka Turbo Paul (yeah right) serious. He is a scumbag, ex-pimp and rumor goes convicted for domestic violence. He knows ZERO. A fantasy guy. Just look at the picture (rented car, jacket: salvation army)

Arthur said...

Paul, this is the last time I react to your stupid posts. You are not worth it. Nobody reads your lies anyway.

You try to discredit everybody who is somebody in the recovery-world because you are a jealous
little bastard. A nobody...

Go fuck a duck

Arthur said...

Frank Veritas, this one is for you, since you blocked me on twitter. I know you read this as you are the only visiting this blog...

You write on twitter that I do not help Jewish families to recover art. Google it, you nitwitt. It has been all over the internet, there is even a documentary about it, a piece we tracked down in the Louvre...

Apart from that Frank... You attack the people that do recover stolen art. Like Marinello, Radcliff, Ellis, Hill and me. Are you an art thief that doesn't like art to be recovered, or just a little jealous old man :-pppppp

Nobody reads you, nobody is interested in your lies. You are like Paul Hendry: two people willing to be stars in recovering stolen art but with zero result. Zero.

Go fuck a duck Frank and get a life ;-)

Anonymous said...


Frank Veritas
‏ @FrankVTruth
Hypocritical of Arthur "The Brand" attacking others for their clothes. This coming from the rapidly aging and balding "detective" with no bona fides who wears the same untucked blue shirt and "Dutch weirdo" glasses in an effort to look young. +he advocates cruelty towards ducks.

https://twitter.com/brand_arthur/status/1113026136534118400

Arthur said...

Frank, do something usefull with your life. You are just an anonymous troll on the internet, jealous of people who are succesful in recovery, like Charley Hill, Dick Ellis (both former scotland yard) and myself. Both the Dutch and French police gave permission to recover the Picasso (case was closed, statue of limitations etc). So your attempts to try to create smoke, are too ridiculous to even mention.

Bye bye...

Anonymous said...

"The Brand" speaking to RTL said:

Having received the painting in black trash bags at his house, Brand said he contacted police and handed it to an insurance company (cop gone bad Dick Ellis) for possible return to its owner.

So, Dutch French Police were not told before the Picasso recovery, they did not give permission to recover the Picasso as "The Brand" would like the public to believe.
Dutch French police were only told after Picasso recovered and placed in secure storage by cop gone bad Dick Ellis.

Picasso is evidence in crime, if not original theft, then being handled by criminals, so police should hold it for forensic tests and possible evidence in court.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-netherlands-picasso/dutch-art-sleuth-says-he-has-recovered-stolen-picasso-idUKKCN1R819I

Arthur said...

Look you fool, read the source, the Dutch newspaper who had the scoop. There is stated that Dutch police AND French police were told LONG before the handover. were you present or I?

You make a fool out of yourself. Why don't you contact the Dutch police yourself? Or are you too busy with playing with yourself?

The Dutch police went ON RECORD... :-ppppppppppp

Don't make yourself more ridiculous Frank Veritas.

Arthur said...

If you could read Dutch, you would have read that Dutch police was contacted already in 2015. I repeat, 2015, when I got the first lead.

Bye you loser-troll.

Arthur said...

In the Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant: 'About the Picasso, Brand had been in close contact with Dutch police, who had told him that French police did not want to restart a criminal investigation...' And then the Dutrch police is quoted...

Frank, you and Turbo Paul, are nobodies. And one of the persons you are mentioning is starting a libel-case... Good luck dudes

Anonymous said...

If Dutch police and French police were told LONG before the handover, and cop gone bad Dick Ellis was present at the handover, why were Dutch and French police not at handover to at least interview those two who actually handed back the Picasso to "The Brand"

If "The Brand" had time to make sure cop gone bad Dick Ellis was at handover, then surely there was time to make sure Dutch and French police were there too?

Did "The Brand" give police the names of the two who handed back the Picasso to him?
Did "The Brand" give police the name of the last person to own the stolen Picasso and all the history known to "The Brand"?

Arthur said...

Frankie-boy...

So now you give it a twist after you discovered that they WERE informed, as I told you before... Keep on trying dude.

The case had passed statue of limitations, the investigation had been closed for years so there was NO reason at all for the police to take action. Not to mention there was no legal basis anymore. They could have come but decided not to. Apart from that, the persons handed it over voluntarily...

Do you really think that German, Spanish, Dutch and other policeforces would cooperate with me if they could find the slightest dirt on me? Just accept that I do everything in a legal way. I recover art, a lot and I make people happy. You are just a loser, a troll without a life ;-)



Arthur said...


Frankie-boy,

Why are you trolling anonymous on Twitter? Everybody knows you are Turbo Paul (what a nickname btw, good for a 4year old) Did you ever notice you never get a like for any of your tweets? Do something useful with your life. Or drop dead, I don't care.

Anyway, I have given you enough attention. I even suspect that you are in love with me and just want my attention... So long pall.

Anonymous said...

Mr Brand, Arthur,
I remember you said you could solve the Gardner Art Heist case.
Given your success in recovering stolen art in Europe, will you be coming to America to recover the Gardner art?
Have you got any news or updates on the Gardner Art Heist?

Arthur said...

Hi Anonymouys, still working on that case. It's a tough case, the ISG, but I keep on trying. I do have some leads, so fingers crossed.

Anonymous said...

Will buy you a beer when you come to America, lots of stolen art here to recover

Arthur said...

Thanks :-)

Anonymous said...

On second thought- Mr. Brand, please don't come to America. Your lack of credentials will be exposed and your carefully crafted persona will crumble. You know nothing about the Boston theft case and are only using it to sell yourself to the media.
What I would find really impressive is if you could recover something really difficult. Like your hairline.

Arthur said...

Frank/Anonymous,

Why don't you put a picture of yourself on twitter instead of trolling anonymous? Btw, my trackrecord speaks for itself. You can read about it everywhere. What is your trackrecord? No likes on your tweets?

Frank/ Turbo Paul, there is nobody in our field who take notice of you. You are nobody, a troll.

My next recovery is on its way, so eat your heart out :-pppppppppppppppppp

This is my last response to you as life is too short for argueing with losers...

Anonymous said...

Oh, good. Then I have the last word and you can go back to your day job--which is what? You claim to recover art on the side of what? you are an antique dealer? or are you trying to create some persona by copying others like bob whittman or harold smith?
Your next recovered artwork? Has William Veras or Michel van Rijn told you where they sold something? That's detective work?
Here's your CV from yur web page.

Arthur Brand was born and raised in Deventer. He now lives and works from Amsterdam. At a young age he became interested in art and history. After studying Spanish and history, for which he lived in Spain and Argentina, among other things, Arthur Brand specialized in the art and antiques trade. He discovers that this trade has a shadow side: scrupulous traders, counterfeiters, thieves, the Mafia and even terrorists earn their money with it.

Go copulate with an Anas platyrhynchos

Arthur said...

"Go fuck a duck" is a movie-line, one of my favorites.

You might even like it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjIDrWn0DQ4

Btw, you are that little kid

Anonymous said...

Arthur "The Brand" sees himself as Red Leary the psychopath killer from Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, threatening the little kid who dares to question him.

A metaphor for the manner in which Arthur "The Brand" conducts himself towards anyone who questions the morality and legality (in most countries)of stolen art recoveries by Arthur Brand.

Arthur said...

Oh come on frank/paul... don't you have any sense of humor at all?

Anyway, it's a great movie. Watch it, may be it even might turn a smile on your face. You might need that once in a while.