Tearful Russian billionaire who spent $2 billion on art tells jurors Sotheby’s cheated him

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A Russian billionaire who accused Sotheby’s of teaming up with a Swiss art dealer to cheat him of tens of millions of dollars became tearful while testifying in court and calling for more transparency in the art market. The emotional moment came Friday as Dmitry Rybolovlev completed two days of testimony in Manhattan federal court to support a lawsuit he brought against Sotheby’s. He says he considers the dealer to be like family. Sotheby’s insists that Rybolovlev is blaming others for his failure to hire the right people to help him buy $2 billion of art from 2002 to 2014.