The plan for determining the ownership of unclaimed paintings and sculptures stored at the Tretyakov Gallery will proceed with a court hearing on April 3, following a preliminary meeting that outlined the path to a full review. The proceeding has been reported by DEA News referencing information from the Zamoskvoretsky court.
The court confirmed that the substantive hearing is set to address the merits after a structured pre-trial phase. This sequence ensures a clear assessment of each item’s provenance and any potential claims, aligning with established procedures for uncertain ownership in state repositories.
The lawsuit catalogues 72 paintings, 19 graphic works, and three statues whose owners have not been identified, all currently kept in temporary storage at the museum. In practices like this, where ownership cannot be readily established, it is common for authorities to transfer the works into government care while efforts to locate rightful owners continue. The museum has a responsibility to actively pursue provenance inquiries, including public notices of the list and outreach to relevant authorities and registration offices to verify ownership records.
Among the pieces under consideration are sketches by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and Isaac Levitan, works by Meretgeldy Akmamedov, Meretdurdy Annakuliev, Andrey Kotsky, Andrey Kurnakov, Vasily Rozhdestvensky, and Yulia Obolenskaya that may be classified as unclaimed. The status of these items reflects ongoing diligence in tracing authorship and rightful possession, a process that can determine whether the works eventually return to living heirs, become state property, or remain in protective custody while claims are resolved.
The recognition of unclaimed artifacts within the museum framework was noted in mid-February, marking an important milestone in the formal documentation and monitoring of such works. This development underscores the museum’s ongoing commitment to transparency, legal due process, and careful stewardship of cultural assets while ownership questions are resolved.