British experts have been brought in by the Government to catalogue and classify more than 2,000 pieces of art belonging to a Polish art collector who has offered his “multimillion” collection to the Maltese.
However, it is a race against time as Zdzislaw Bieganski, 92, will only transfer his entire collection to a trust foundation when a location to exhibit his collection is secured by the Government.
In the event he dies before this happens, Malta may lose the collection, as it will be passed on to his three children.
However, four months after Mr Bieganski made his offer public , the Government is not in a position to take a decision and is waiting for final assessments from Heritage Malta, which is responsible for cataloguing the collection.
The process is ongoing and British experts have been brought over to work with the Maltese to determine its value.
Culture Minister Mario de Marco said the ministry was “taking this very seriously”. Although aware of the time constraints, an inventory of all the art pieces has to be compiled before any decision can be taken.
“I cannot commit to creating a museum without knowing what is in the collection.
“It would be irresponsible of me to take a decision before an actual evaluation,” Dr de Marco said.
Mr Bieganski will not be donating the collection to the Government but to the Bieganski Foundation, made up of the collector, his wife Halina, his assistant and former art dealer Ryan Pillow, artist David Xuereb and Magistrate Carol Peralta.
So far – pending a location – none of the art pieces has been passed on to the foundation.
But Mr Bieganski cannot understand why the whole process is taking so long. Mr Pillow pointed out that the cataloguing seemed to be at a standstill.
“Only 1,000 pieces have been catalogued. We were told that we’d be given an answer in four weeks, but now four months have passed.”
Dr de Marco said Heritage Malta was waiting for more of Biegnaski’s pieces stored in vaults overseas to arrive. “The collection is extensive and not all of it is in Malta,” he said.
Experts need to verify claims that the collection houses originals by, among others, Picasso, Van Gogh and Michelangelo.
“We do not know whether they are originals,” Mr Pillow said.
“Fifty years ago, when Mr Bieganski bought the pieces, the art dealing world did not provide the paperwork that is standard today.”
“The only way you can certify if a Picasso is an original or not, is through Paloma, his daughter.”
It is estimated that the authentication process will cost between €60,000 and €80,000.
There are hundreds of other authentic pieces that are “internationally catalogued”, Mr Pillow insisted, including some Renoirs, an Edgar Degas sketch and “priceless” pieces by Viola Patterson and Emile Bernard.
Mr Bieganski, mellower in mood than in previous interviews, explained that he never really cared about the artists or the money when he bought his art.
“What do I care about Picasso? It is just a name – I care about the painting – that when I look at it I can see the beauty of life.”
His collection, he said, was a story of love: “My life was so lousy, art was my light.”
He is concerned that there is no idealism left in the world and that there’s only consumerism.
“I might not be here tomorrow. I just want to pass on this message: don’t worry about money, the expert is your heart.”
As part of the celebration of the European Day of Languages, the European Commission in Malta will this evening open a week-long exhibition at the National Library in Valletta, featuring some of the original art pieces from the Bieganski collection. The event is open to the public. For information call 9946 9459.
What kicked off the Bieganski ‘madness’?
It all started when Bieganski wanted to buy a birthday present for his future wife when they were living in the UK in 1950.
“I worked as a pigeon shooter back then and managed to save up £7. Feeling very rich I headed to the village.”
There, he spotted an icon of the Holy Mary in a shop window. “It called out to me,” he said.
He bought it for £6 and today it has the pride of place in his bedroom. He never gave it to his wife.
“That was a gift for myself,” he said, eyeing the painting with love. His wife had to make do with a bottle of vodka for her birthday present.