Paul Smalera at The Big Money looks at the art collections owned by banks and insurance companies that were bailed out during the financial crisis. Some of these collections are well known. But were you aware that Bear Stearns had 1500 works bought since 2003 when they built their new headquarters? or that that this Van Gogh is now a contested property between CV Starr and AIG? It used to hang over Hank Greenberg’s desk.

Masterpieces of the Universe (TheBigMoney.com)