Malaysia has publicly displayed four artworks by artists including Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, which authorities say were purchased using money stolen from the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state investment fund. The paintings were repatriated from New York on 14 April and unveiled at the headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Putrajaya.
The 1MDB scandal involved the misappropriation of more than $4.5bn (£3.3bn) between 2009 and 2014, according to the US Department of Justice. The funds were used to buy luxury homes, jewellery, yachts, private jets, artworks, and even finance the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. The allegations led to investigations in multiple countries and contributed to the 2018 electoral defeat of then prime minister Najib Razak, who has since been imprisoned for corruption.
The recovered works include Miró's Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo's Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, Picasso's L’Ecuyère et les clowns (1961), and Balthus's Étude pour femme couchée (1948). Malaysian authorities estimate their combined value at approximately $198,125 (£145,443). MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the artworks were traced through Sotheby's and Christie's auction houses in New York and recovered with assistance from the FBI and US Department of Justice.
“These artworks are not merely of commercial value, but also stand as historical symbols of the country’s largest corruption scandal,” Azam said at a press conference. “No matter how large the amount stolen through this scandal, every cent belonging to the people must be returned.” The paintings arrived in Malaysia in wooden crates and were unpacked under controlled conditions supervised by the National Art Gallery, where they will be transferred for public display.
Authorities are still seeking eight other artworks linked to the scandal, including pieces by Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí, and another Picasso. They are also pursuing proceeds from the sale of a Claude Monet painting currently under seizure proceedings in the US. The recovered works were acquired by former 1MDB lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, who has cooperated with investigators since returning to Malaysia in 2023.
