Berlusconi spent hundreds of millions on art – now the collection is called worthless – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

The former prime minister is said to have collected 25,000 sculptures, paintings and other art objects during the last years of his life. A certain number of them should also be of naked women, made in modern times, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. The majority of the artworks are said to have been bought from shopping channels late at night. Burden for the heirs Daughters Eleonora Berlusconi and Barbara Berlusconi, and son Luigi Berlusconi at the funeral of their father Silvio Berlusconi in June. Photo: Claudio Furlan / AP In June this year, Italians said goodbye to businessman and politician Silvio Berlusconi (86), who died after being ill for several years. He was the longest-serving Italian Prime Minister after the Second World War. According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the enormous collection has become a burden for Berlusconi’s five heirs. It costs more than NOK 9 million a year to house the works in the art warehouse near Milan. His family therefore now has plans to get rid of most of the 25,000 paintings, statues and other works he is said to have bought during his lifetime. – Totally worthless Vittorio Sgarbi, art critic and friend of the former prime minister, believes that the works have no value from an artistic point of view and that a destruction of the works therefore “will not be a crime against art”. Sgarbi believes that only six or seven of all the works have artistic value. He also says that Berlusconi was often awake late at night to buy art objects from shopping channels. Berlusconi was known to call TV channels at night, introduce himself and bid on items that were being sold on TV. The TV channels often hung up when they thought it was a joke. Controversial Berlusconi left an empire of businesses and companies to his five children and his partner. Banner at Mediaset’s headquarters in connection with the funeral. “All employees embrace founder Silvio Berlusconi with love”. Photo: Luca Bruno / AP Among other things, he built up the media group Mediaset, which owns several of the largest media in Italy. According to The Guardian, Mediaset should be worth more than NOK 70 billion. Berlusconi was also for many years the owner of the football club AC Milan in his hometown of Milan. Although at times a popular politician in Italy, Berlusconi was also highly controversial. Among other things, he was charged with corruption and financial crime. In 2012, Berlusconi was sentenced to four years in prison. He was also banned from political office for five years due to tax fraud linked to Mediaset. Silvio Berlusconi owned the football club AC Milan for many years. Here from when the team won the Champions League final in 2007. Photo: PHIL NOBLE / REUTERS



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