Price of Art

The global art market is a $60.8 billion business.

The question was if some of the worlds biggest art dealers would be willing to sell art to a dictator in order to keep up the profits? In order to find out Petro met with the art dealers, pretending to be a representative for Emomalii Rahmon, the president of Tajikistan, one of the poorest countries in cental Asia, one of the most corrupt countries in the world and a president that has been clinging on to power for over 20 years.

The president is one of richest guys in Tajikistan, money being spent on extravant parties and luxury.

Petro prentended being the consultant Petr Fomin set up a website promoting his consulting business, printed business cards, registered fake phones and hired a couple of assiants to take his calls. Then Petro met the art dealers, offering them to buy art for a value between five to ten million dollars. There where only one catch, the buyer was President Rahmon, there could be no traces leading back to him using other companies as a cover and the art dealers should be paid from off-shore accounts. Petro was very specific on these topics since the poor people of Tajikistan, earning $10 a month would be very upset if the president bought Damien Hirst and Ai Weiwei for millions.