Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has filed a motion in federal court in Manhattan to recover 91 artworks valued at an estimated $100 million, which he claims were entrusted to French dealer Pascal de Sarthe. Bouvier is seeking to compel at least 15 banks and two major auction houses—Sotheby's and Christie's—to provide information about the artworks' whereabouts. The legal action, initiated in Hong Kong in October, targets de Sarthe, who disputes Bouvier's ownership. Bouvier alleges that after his long-running legal battle with Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, he was blacklisted by auction houses and entered into an oral agreement with de Sarthe and dealer Jean Marc Peretti for custody of the artworks, but de Sarthe has allegedly failed to respond to inquiries. A Hong Kong hearing was held in early October for orders including injunction and preservation.
This case matters because it highlights the complex and often opaque world of high-value art storage, ownership disputes, and international legal maneuvering. Bouvier, known for his free-port empire and his previous high-profile litigation with Rybolovlev over alleged overcharging on blue-chip artworks, is now using sophisticated legal tactics—including a 1782 filing to obtain privileged financial information from New York institutions—to advance his claims in Hong Kong. The outcome could set precedents for how art dealers resolve cross-border ownership conflicts and how courts handle discovery requests involving major auction houses and banks. It also underscores ongoing tensions in the art market around provenance, trust, and the legal recourse available to dealers and collectors.