RK spied the following article in an Italian newspaper and used google translate to bring it into english.

The translation is far from expert but it is good enough to get the gist of its contents.

January 13, 2016

"BRESCIA / CHRONICLE
THE INTERVIEW
Zaleski and carpets for Cruising St. Luke: "A gift to the city"
The Foundation Tassara will of the restoration work but not of the future management of the museum: it is up to Brescia Museums. "I do not know if I will like to Brescia but will attract collectors and scholars around the world"

"This is my gift to the city, to which I am very attached. A gift which is not possible to quantify the value. The rarest carpet, a Holbein the fifteenth century, is now worth between 11 and the € 13 million ". So says the Franco-Polish businessman Romain Zaleski. Eighty-three years old next February 7, camuno adoption by mid-nineties (after it took over the Carlo Tassara) is among the wealthiest men in the world. He does not like to talk business with journalists but the voice is friendly if this is his great passion. The carpets. He collects them for a lifetime and donated them to the foundation Carlo Tassara, which will set up in the city a unique museum in the world, after restoring (planned spending 7 million) a former cruise of San Luca, in the central Corso Zanardelli.

Zaleski, for the recovery of the Cruise the City has put out a call to which the foundation has joined Tassara, to fulfill ourselves the museum of carpets.

Will you?

"Yes, the idea is. There is a number of issues to deal with but the Foundation is developing the project and will take charge of the restoration of the building costs. But it is not equipped to handle the museum. "

You could do it Brescia Museums ...

"Yes, I hope so."

The museum would receive success in your opinion?

"I do not know what action could have in the people of Brescia and Lombardy. But it would be the only one in Europe and could attract international tourism, made up of collectors, scholars, enthusiasts. There are unique rugs on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Louvre, the Victoria Museum in London. But it does not exist, except in Istanbul, a museum dedicated only to carpets, with pieces from all over the world and from all periods ".

Your most valuable piece or one to which she is particularly linked? "It's a Holbein Anatolia, of 1430. My wife and I have bought at auction the goods of a palace in Venice in 2002, was perfectly intact, preserved under a bed. They asked for 11 thousand euro, there we are awarded to almost 600 thousand euro. Today it is estimated nearly 13 million because there are only a dozen in the world. It is the only certified by the Fine Arts. "

They are worth all the carpets in 1350?

"It's a cultural value, to which it is impossible to give a figure."

Why did he choose Brescia as the venue for the exhibition?

"It can be a major attraction for the city, already full of important cultural treasures. I think of the Roman theater, in Santa Giulia. I am fond of Brescia, the frequent, I have several friends. My wife (Helene De Prittwitz, ed) is vice president of the Great theater foundation. "

Why not donate them to the Louvre or another important museum?

"They would lose in importance in the middle of a large amount of works. For this it is best to Brescia. "

A Quick start the restoration also of the nearby art gallery, for which there is no need of many funds. Ever thought of a help?

"No. At the moment".

For those readers unfamiliar with the name Romain Zaleski let RK provide a bit of background.

Mr Zaleski is a very wealthy European industrialist who has collected carpets in a major way since the 1970's.

He, like most wealthy carpet collectors, was not really hands on but rather always had a dealer out in front of him to do the work and bring examples for him to purchase.

For many years that dealer has been moshe tabibnia. In fact, rumors have it that tabibnia's gallery is basically Zaleski's and tabibnia is just a hired-hand employee. RK surely does not know if this is true or false. Or how much of such a supposition might be true.

One thing is sure before he became Zaleski's main man tabibnia was very far from the mister big in rugDUMB that many people today credit him as being.

As far as what is Zaleski's collection and what is tabibnia's gallery's?

Again, RK surely does not know but the article does give some good insight into one carpet.

The large-pattern Holbein mentioned in the article was purchased by tabibnia at an auction sale in Venice, Italy in 2002. It has been on view in tabibnia's gallery a number of times since then, and on one of RK many visits with tabibnia we heard him boast "I cannot sell this carpet although I have been offered millions for it. It is too important for me to sell"

Well now, moshe, you can't sell it because it ain't yours, not because of any other reason you might like to boast about to stroke your hungry ego.

It belongs to Zaleski and RK is pretty sure everything else of great value in tabibnia's gallery does as well.

As for Zaleski's efforts to see his collection in a museum?

The first plan was a purpose-built museum in Milan that was to be called MataM. It was supposed to open in 2010.

2010 came and went and no MataM.

Then Zaleski and tabibnia announced the collection would be housed in Venice. The Venice project would open in 2012.

2012 came and went and still no Zaleski museum.

Now plans are, according to the article, centered on opening a museum in a former cinema in Bescia, a small town in northern Italy located between Milan and Venica but much closer to Milan.

Bescia is a beautiful little town and perhaps this time the Zaleski carpet collection will in fact get a home.

One last comment: without Romain Zaleski's money behind him moshe tabibnia would not only not have a swank gallery in Milan but RK believes tabibnia would not even be in the rug business.

And perhaps that would have been a far better thing for all concerned?