Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has returned to a New York federal court, asking for records from Sotheby's tied to a private Picasso transaction now connected to a new criminal case in France.
In court filings, Bouvier says the documents are needed to support his complaint against French dealer Antoine Peretti. He states that he bought Pablo Picasso's Intimité (Femmes et Enfants) in April 2024 for $7.25 million, under an agreement that any resale profit above that amount would be split evenly.
Bouvier alleges the painting was later resold through Milocci Limited, operating as de Sarthe Gallery, to Sotheby's for a net seller price of $9 million. He claims he was not informed about the resale and did not receive either the original purchase price or his share of the reported profit.
To support his case, Bouvier is seeking sale agreements, payment proof, wire transfer records, and documents identifying where the proceeds were sent. The request relies on Section 1782, a U.S. law that allows evidence gathering for foreign legal proceedings when the material is held by a U.S.-based company.
The filing also outlines a broader legal backdrop for Bouvier, whose name has long been linked to high-profile art market disputes. In this latest move, he is using the same discovery tools he once challenged, now to trace the path of a single artwork and its proceeds.
If granted, the request could further shape how cross-border art transactions are documented and verified in the future, especially as the global market becomes more transparent and data-driven.
