Golgotha painting owner receives 'warnings'

Atrs collector Imre Pákh, the owner of the 'Golgotha' painting the Hungarian state would like to purchase from him says he has received several 'warnings' that he may be barred from the entering Hungary if he does not concede to the state's price offer.

The state initiated protection proceedings on the painting, preventing its owner to take it out of the country. In an interview with local news portal origo.hu Pákh said he had been "warned" on three occasions and two of these warnings were followed by action. The only one left is banning him from entering the country.

As portfolio.hu explains, Hungarian-born Imre Pákh, who currently resides in New York, asked USD 9 million for Munkácsy’s 'Golgotha’, a piece in a trilogy by the 19th century painter on exhibition in the Déri Museum of Debrecen. The other two pieces, 'Christ before Pilate’ and 'Ecce Homo’ are already in state ownership. The former was acquired by Hungary from Canada’s Art Gallery of Hamilton for USD 5.7 million in February this year.

It was reported on 10 June that at the initiative of the Prime Minister’s Office a procedure has been launched that prevents anyone from taking Pákh’s painting out of the country.

Pákh is asking USD 9 million for the painting, whereas the central bank said that due to regulations it cannot pay more than USD 6 million. The owner said that unless a deal is made he will remove the painting from Hungary on 25 June. It seems the state did not particularly liked the idea of "losing" Golgotha