FBI hunts for owners of £1.1m treasure trove of stolen artwork discovered in Manhattan flat

Agents are desperate to find out who really owns the treasure trove of  works, discovered stacked from floor to ceiling in a tiny one-bedroom Manhattan flat.

The paintings, which include three Picassos, one Toulouse Lautrec and a Sir Peter Lely portrait of Oliver Cromwell, set the art world abuzz – until it  was discovered most of them were stolen.

Stolen: A portrait of Oliver Cromwell by Sir Peter Lely was discovered in the Manhattan flat

When experts, called in to auction off the estate of eccentric dealer William Vanderbilt Kingsland, started to research the 300 plus pieces they realised many had been reported missing in the 1960s and 1970s.

Auctioneers actually sold one 18th Century portrait for £42,000 before discovering it belonged to Harvard University.

And after calling in the FBI, it transpired that the late Mr Kingsland, who always wore a white artist’s beret and spoke with an upper crust accent, wasn’t all that he seemed either.

The 62-year-old collector, who befriended singer Elton John when he briefly worked for a Madison Avenue antiques gallery in the 1980s, was actually born Melvyn Kohn, the son of poor Eastern European immigrants, in the Bronx.    

'Whether he was a thief or a good-faith purchaser, we couldn’t come to a conclusion on that,' said FBI agent Jim Wynne. 'All we know is he ended up with the stuff.'

Mr Kingsland had no known living relatives and did not leave a will when he died, aged 62, two years ago.

New York City’s Public Administrator’s Office, which stands to inherit, originally estimated the estate was worth about £250,000.

But auctioneers were stunned by the sheer number of artworks, including a £500,000 Alberto Giacometti bust, crammed into the Upper East side apartment.  

FBI agents have traced the rightful owners of some paintings but posted 140 images on its website in the hope that art lovers can help.  

They say the haul is worth £1.1 million but if auctioned the collection could raise tens of thousands more.

Mr Kingsland received a glowing newspaper obituary after his death with friends paying tribute to his encyclopedia-like knowledge of history and the arts.  

But after his real identity emerged, they said he had never let visitors inside his apartment and gave few clues that he had amassed such a spectacular collection.