Ante Topić Mimara (7 April 1898 in Korušce – 30 January 1987 in Zagreb) was a controversial Croatian art collector and philanthropist. He donated his collection of more than 3,700 artifacts, ranging from the prehistoric to the 20th century periods to the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade and the Mimara Museum in Zagreb. Most masterpieces of the Italian Collection and Dutch Collection in the National Museum of Serbia had been donated by Mimara.[1]

In post-war years, Mimara was a consultant to the Yugoslav military mission in Berlin and Munich, where he worked on returning plundered works of art to Yugoslavia. In 1963, he sold the Cloisters Cross to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is vividly described by Thomas Hoving, who made the acquisition, in his book on the work.[2]

Controversy

Several highly respected art historians and contemporaries of Topić Mimara say that he appears to have stolen many of the items in his art collection while working for the Yugoslav military at a World War II art collection point.[1][2][3]

According to Thomas Hoving, "Topic Mimara's hoard of masterpieces are 95 percent fakes produced by him and his hired forgers."[4] On its opening, a "prominent Yugoslav art historian" told AP that "it might be the greatest collection of fakes in the world."[5] According to Konstantin Akinsha, Ante Topić Mimara built his collection by forging, but also by looting and swindling.[6]

See also

Notes

For notes referring to sources, see bibliography below.

  1. 1 2 Akinsha 2001
  2. 1 2 Hoving 1981
  3. ↑ Hohne 1972
  4. ↑ Thomas Hoving, Super Art Gems of New York City, www.artnet.com
  5. ↑ Dusan Stojanovic, Art Display Opens, But One Expert Says Its Full of Fakes, AP, July 18, 1987
  6. ↑ Konstantin Akinsha, Ante Topic Mimara,"The Master Swindler of Yugoslavia", ARTnews September 2001

References

  • Akinsha, Konstantin. "The Master Swindler of Yugoslavia", ARTnews, New York, September 2001.
  • Hoving, Thomas (1981). King of the Confessors. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-43388-1.
  • Hohne, Heinz (1972). The General Was A Spy. New York, New York: Coward, McCann and Geoghegan. ISBN 0-698-10430-7.
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