The Public Prosecutor’s Office announced today that, in the investigation by the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) against João Rendeiro and his wife Maria de Jesus Rendeiro, launched due to the misappropriation of seized assets, four pieces of art have been recovered in Paris at an auction house with the cooperation of French authorities.
Among these artworks, which include three paintings and one composition/photograph, is ‘Os Cães de Barcelona’ by Paula Rego, valued at an estimated 416,000 euros. This painting was previously subject to classification requests to the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC).
In 2022, a classification request was made by the artist’s son, to which the DGPC responded it was legally unable to begin classification due to the inability to notify the owner and the unknown whereabouts of the piece at the time.
The recovered items also include ‘O Cavaleiro’ by Amadeo de Souza Cardoso, valued at approximately 178,000 euros, ‘Dichter E’ by Karel Appel, estimated at 48,000 euros, and the photographic composition ‘Momento I’ by Juan Munoz, valued at 36,000 euros.
In total, the four recovered artworks are valued at an estimated 678,000 euros.
‘Os Cães de Barcelona’, painted in 1964, is inspired by an event in Spain during Franco’s political regime. Art historian Raquel Henriques Silva, who submitted a substantiated classification request for the work in 2021, argues that the painting, which marks the beginnings of Paula Rego’s artistic career, “refers to the political situation in Portugal.”
At the time, Rego learned from UK newspaper reports about the deaths of hundreds due to the authorities in Barcelona spreading poisoned meat in the streets to eradicate stray dogs during widespread hunger.
‘Os Cães de Barcelona’ was first exhibited in 1964 at the London Group, an artists’ association showcasing works by figures like David Hockney, Frank Auerbach, and Michael Andrews, and was first displayed in Portugal in 1965 at the National Society of Fine Arts in Lisbon.
The painting is part of a collection that went missing from João Rendeiro’s personal art collection. The former banker was found dead on May 13, 2022, in a South African prison, with his wife declared the faithful keeper by Portuguese authorities.
In December 2024, the Judicial Police (PJ) announced the recovery of nine misappropriated artworks from Rendeiro’s private collection, seized by prosecutors in the case where Rendeiro and other Banco Privado Português (BPP) administrators were convicted of economic-financial crimes that led to the bank’s collapse, leaving thousands of clients affected.
Recovered pieces include ‘Untitled’ by Robert Longo, sold in March 2021 for 91,500 euros; a white marble bench titled ‘Selections from Truisms: A Lot of Professional’ by Jenny Holzer, valued at around 150,000 euros; and a black marble bench, ‘Nothing Will Stop You’, by Jenny Holzer, valued at 135,000 euros.
In September 2024, the artwork ‘Rzochow’ by Frank Stella was repatriated, having been illicitly sold in October 2021 for 70,000 euros and located in New York.
In January 2022, the painting ‘Piaski’ by Frank Stella was repatriated, having been illicitly sold in March 2021 for about 110,000 euros, and was located in Belgium.
In 2021, other recovered works in Portugal included paintings ‘Seraglio II’ (Julião Sarmento), ‘Dias Quase Tranquilos’ (Helena Almeida), ‘Lag-72’ (Frank Nitsche), and ‘Untitled’ (Pedro Calapez).
Other assets directly or indirectly belonging to João Rendeiro and his wife were seized, including an apartment valued at 1.15 million euros, a high-powered vehicle worth 50,000 euros, and bank balances in Portugal and abroad totaling 514,000 euros.
At the end of last year, the PJ stated in a communiqué that assets and values amounting to around 70 million euros had been seized in the context of this case.
