Julio Muñoz Ramonet died in 1991 and left his 500-work art collection to the city of Barcelona. It has been so long since an appraisal was done, no one knows the value of the collection, nor would there be the usual safeguards on preventing sales of the works. His children disputed the gift which tied up its disposition for decades. That matter has finally been resolved but in the meantime someone—not the children—has taken 40% of the works from the home where they were kept, according to Spanish site Vozpopuli [excuse the rough translation]:
The matter came to light after the dispute over the inheritance to the two daughters of the entrepreneur, finalized in 2012 and in which Tribunal Supreme ruled in favor of the City as a repository for the collection. When representatives of the consistory entered the farm on July 25 , they found that missing more than half of the collection. According to the authorities, upon arrival, noted how the walls could see the marks of the pictures that had been taken down , in some cases, even the carpets had been replaced by works of little value.
The collection which once housed the Mansion included parts Fortuny,Sorolla,Goya, El Greco, Rembrandt, Murillo, Zurbarán, Monet, and a long list of works, which have now diminished. A list made in 1987 the art critic Joan Ainaud of Lasarte, highlighted 19 works of art valued then at 1,630 million pesetas (almost ten million euros).
Jaume Siurana , Councillor for Culture of the City of Barcelona, has indicated, told Efe that municipal engineers are developing an inventory of what was in the estate at death Muñoz Ramonet and what has been found to take possession of the property , 17 years after the legacy was formalized.
Disappears half works Julio Muñoz Ramonet left the City of Barcelona (Vozpopuli)
