$350M Mexican art collection secretly sold by NYC curator, causing mayhem — and he was accused of stealing it in the first place
An $350 million collection of Mexican art, known as the Gelman Collection, was secretly sold in 2023 by New York curator Robert Littman, who had been named its custodian. The collection, which includes works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, was used as collateral for a $150 million loan and will be exhibited in Spain under the name Gelman-Santander Collection. Littman faces accusations of exploiting the collector Natasha Gelman's declining mental health to gain control of her assets, sparking legal battles and outrage in the art world.
- ▪The Gelman Collection includes 96 works by prominent Mexican artists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and was valued at $350 million.
- ▪Robert Littman, the collection's custodian, sold it in 2023 without public disclosure, contrary to Gelman's will, which required the works to remain together and accessible to the public.
- ▪Natasha Gelman's relatives allege that Littman took advantage of her Alzheimer's disease and lack of testamentary capacity to gain control of her estate.
- ▪The Zambrano family acquired the collection and used it as collateral for a loan from Banco Santander, which now controls the artworks.
- ▪Banco Santander will display the collection at its new museum in Santander, Spain, under the rebranded name Gelman-Santander Collection.
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World News exclusive $350M Mexican art collection secretly sold by NYC curator, causing mayhem — and he was accused of stealing it in the first place By Isabel Vincent Published May 5, 2026, 6:00 a.m. ET The art world is outraged over one of the most prominent collections of Mexican artwork leaving the country for Spain. The Gelman Collection of Mexican art includes 96 works by Frida Kahlo, her husband Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, and many others, once owned by Natasha Gelman, who relocated to Mexico from Europe to escape World War II. It has recently emerged that the collection was quietly sold in 2023 by its custodian, 85-year-old New York City art curator Robert Littman. 12 Mexican artist Diego Rivera painted art collector Natasha Gelman in 1943.
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