René Alphonse van den Berghe
René Alphonse van den Berghe (born Nivelles, 1940), known as Erik the Belgian in Spain, is a Belgian art dealer implicated in the theft to order of a large number of artworks from Spanish churches.[1] Although Erik was imprisoned several times, ultimately in Spain for 37 months the Spanish courts failed to convict him of any art theft.[2]
References
- ^ Cristóbal Gnecco, Dorothy Lippert, Ethics and Archaeological Praxis Page 65 1493916467 - 2014 -"Anyway, the biggest looter of ancient, especially religious, art in Spain was René Alphonse van den Berghe, known as “Erik the Belgian,” who was very active since the 1970s and after his stay in prison wrote a book cynically entitled “For the art's sake..."
- ^ Erik le Belge, gentleman voleur 2005 "En 1976, il a écopé de dix ans de prison, en Belgique, pour recel avec récidive. Il s'est évadé de la prison de Verviers. Plus tard, ce sera de l'hôpital pénitentiaire de Madrid. Mais «j'ai oublié tout ça, c'est du passé». En sachant que si Erik le Belge a été frappé de plusieurs condamnations, elles n'ont jamais concerné le vol d'oeuvres d'art. Sur ce point, il a fait 37 mois de préventive en Espagne, avant d'être acquitté. Il a depuis épousé son avocate."