The Dr. Nos
A recurring theme throughout my book is the influence that media had upon the individuals involved in the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum and its aftermath.
The Dr. No theory has been dismissed by law enforcement and art experts alike. Dr. No is a fictional character penned by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels. He was an arrogant, mega-wealthy, criminal mastermind bent on world domination who collected rare works of art, preferably by stealing.
Paul Manafort Jr. and Dr. Nos
Paul Manafort knows people around the globe who have a taste for fine art and the wealth to acquire it. Some of these individuals enjoy close relationships with politicians including former U. S. Presidents. Many know one another, and most have had legal troubles. I am not suggesting that any of these individuals have a connection to the stolen Gardner art but I wish to illustrate that the world of art collecting is a varied and unique one.
Guy Wildenstein
Guy is the director of the Wildenstein Institute in Paris. The Wildenstein family is considered to be the largest dealer of fine art in the world. There have been lawsuits against them concerning art masterpieces looted by the Nazis in WW2, and a vault found at the Wildenstein Institute contained 30 missing and stolen works of art. Guy said that he didn't know they were there.
Nicholas Sarkozy
Sarkozy is a former Prime Minister and President of France and served as an advisor to the French Presidential campaign of Eduard Balladur with Jean Marie Messier and Paul Manafort Jr. He has come under investigation for Karachi Gate and Libyan influence on French elections, and was convicted of corruption in March 2021. He is awaiting trial on other charges, including accepting campaign contributions from Libyan Dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and is a close friend of Guy Wildenstein.
His father is an artist who hosts art shows, and his brother Oliver established Athena Art Finance, a company that loans money using fine art as collateral. Nicholas has many connections in the French Island of Corsica.
Jean Marie Messier (J2M) Former CEO of Vivendi Corporation
Messier was an advisor on Eduard Balladur's presidential campaign with Paul Manafort Jr. and Nicholas Sarkozy. Vivendi posted an 11 billion dollar loss after his dot-com buying spree and was forced to resign after being accused of stock manipulation and mishandling company funds. When he moved to New York City, he became involved with the Whitney Museum of American Art. The FBI traveled to Paris to interview him concerning a stolen Gardner painting.
Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
He was convicted of insider trading concerning Vivendi's stock along with Messier. He and Messier had major disagreements concerning control of the Seagram art collection that had been included in the buyout by Vivendi.
Imelda Marcos (wife of Philippine Dictator Ferdinand Marcos).
She collects more than shoes. The Government of the Philippines raided her home to collect art masterpieces that were pillaged from national museums during her husband's reign. Imelda was fond of Paul Manafort Jr. and made a point to thank him for all his help before she and her husband were forced into exile. She was later arrested and tried with Adnan Khashoggi for racketeering and real estate fraud in NYC. A ten million payment directed to the Reagan presidential campaign went missing during their friendship.
King Juan Carlos of Spain
Carlos stepped down due to allegations that he and his Prime Minister received 100 million dollars in bribes concerning military weapon contracts. Abdul Rahman Al Assir was allegedly involved in the arms deal. Interpol says that stolen art is often used as collateral for drug and arms deals.
Interpol says that stolen art is often used as collateral for drug, and arms deals.
Tiad Takieddine
Tiad was close to Nicholas Sarkozy, his inner political circle, and the French Intelligence Service. He was a player in the Karachi Affair - sale of submarines from France to Pakistan - and was convicted of corruption (in absentia) in a French court, then later disappeared. Manafort testified to French Congressional investigators that he was paid by Takieddine for his work on the Karachi Affair.
Abdul Rahman Al Assir
A weapons broker and a close friend of Paul Manafort. He was also convicted (in absentia) in a French court for his part in the Karachi Affair, and is now a fugitive from justice, living in Switzerland.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud
He was Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States from 1983-2005 and engineered an 80 billion dollar arms sale (Al Yamahah Deal) with the United Kingdom to supply Saudi Arabia with jets and military ordinance. He was also a former Director of Saudi Arabia's intelligence service.
Adnan Khashoggi
A flamboyant individual who had his yacht featured in a James Bond movie. He represented Raytheon, Grumman, Northrop, and Lockheed in Middle Eastern arms deals, and was involved in the Iran-Contra Scandal. He is the brother-in-law of Abdul Rahman Al-Assir, and was indicted and tried for racketeering and fraud in NYC with Imelda Marcos. He is deceased.
Eastern Bloc Oligarchs and criminals that Paul Manafort Jr. had working relationships with have invested in expensive art by making anonymous purchases at both Christies and Sotheby's auctions:
- Oleg Deripaska
Deripaska employed Manafort from 2005 to 2009 and filed suit against him in the Cayman Islands. He is now suing him in A new York court. Rumored to have purchased a Picasso for 95 million dollars at a New York City auction.
- Rinat Akhmentov
Akhmetov is a billionaire financier and the unofficial head of the Russian aligned Party of Regions in Ukraine. The party is described as the Mobster Party by Ukraine citizens. Paul Manafort, a close friend, was hired by him to manage the presidential campaign of Victor Yanukovych.
- Dymtro Firtash
The United States is attempting to extradite Frtash to face bribery charges in Chicago. Another billionaire,he is affiliated with Vladimir Putin and Russian Mafia Boss of Bosses, Semion Mogelivich. He had several ill-fated business partnerships with Paul Manafort.
- Viktor Yanukovych
Yanukovych, another friend of Paul Manafort, was the puppet president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014 until fleeing to Russia under the protection of Vladimir Putin. He is under indictment in Ukraine for fraud and massive government corruption.
- Vladimir Putin
A wealthy Russian from Moscow, named Nina Moleva, bequeathed Putin a two billion dollar art collection. Paul Manafort Jr. made 18 trips to Moscow during his time in Ukraine.
Others:
- Claude Dray
If you think art collecting can't be dangerous, think again. Claude, a billionaire art collector, was murdered on 10/27/2011. The house was alarmed and heavily guarded when he was shot three times in the neck with a silenced weapon. It was a professional hit, and the crime remains unsolved.
- James Thrall Soby (1906-1979)
James Thrall Soby, the great-uncle of Thomas Soby Jr. one of the main characters in Isabella, was born into a wealthy Connecticut tobacco family at the turn of the twentieth century.
James Soby is a legend in the world of modern art. He was a collector, patron, curator, art critic, art expert, and author of numerous books. He wrote a monthly art column for the Saturday Review of Literature and was an editor for the Magazine of Art. He began his career in Hartford, Connecticut's Wadsworth Athenaeum, and became the Director of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art (MMA) in New York City. He became a member of the board of trustees, sat on various committees, and was the assistant director of the museum. From there he rose to the position of chair of the department of painting and eventually became vice president of the MMA.
Soby was married three times and kept homes in West Hartford, Connecticut as well as New York City. After his retirement, he relocated to New Canaan, Connecticut where he resided until he died in 1979. He bequeathed his collection of writings, drawings, paintings, and sculpture art to the MMA. They included works by Picasso, Matisse, Miro', Berard, and de Chirico among others.
James Thrall Soby and his grandnephew Thomas Soby Jr. are both alumni of Kingswood school in West Hartford, now known as the Kingswood-Oxford school. The school has an auditorium that carries their surname, the Soby Auditorium.