Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has filed a Section 1782 petition in US federal court to locate 91 artworks he claims are his, worth approximately $100 million. The filing targets roughly 15 major banks and two auction houses (Sotheby's and Christie's) to compel disclosure of financial and transactional records. The request is tied to Hong Kong legal proceedings against French dealer Pascal de Sarthe, whom Bouvier accuses of failing to return works placed with him for safekeeping. De Sarthe disputes Bouvier's ownership, and his attorney has asked the New York court to delay or deny the application as premature.
This development marks a significant reversal for Bouvier, who spent years defending himself against Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev's allegations of overcharging him by $1 billion on artworks—accusations rejected by every court. After Sotheby's was cleared of wrongdoing in that affair in January 2024, the art world assumed the saga was over. Now Bouvier is the one pursuing legal action, claiming he was "blacklisted by auction houses" after the Rybolovlev litigation, forcing him into informal storage arrangements that have allegedly gone awry. The case raises questions about ownership, provenance, and the use of US discovery mechanisms in international art disputes.