It has been almost six years since the family of Claude Berry tears itself apart over its incredible legacy. Finally, justice seems to give – in part – right to his eldest son Thomas Langmann, who accuses his mother-in-law Nathalie Rheims and his half-brother Darius Langmann, of having diverted part of the collection of works of art left by the filmmaker after his death in 2009: more than 600 pieces, which he estimates at 200 million euros. A new twist has just been reported by the chained duck and The Parisian…
In a judgment of the Court of Appeal dated January 18, 2022, the judges of the investigating chamber indicate that “investigators have identified nearly 434 works of art diverted from the estate“, citing “serious or consistent clues“. On March 23, 2021, 84 works of art were seized after ten searches: “41 pieces from Nathalie Rheims, 25 from Darius Langmann and 17 from Sylvie Gautrelet, former costume designer and second wife of Claude Berri“, recall the two newspapers. In January and February 2021 already, 76 works had been seized”in the vaults of the Chenu archiving company in Paris rented in particular by Thomas Langmann’s mother-in-law and his half-brother“, as revealed by the show Investigation supplements (France 2) last May.
The procedure follows the order of seizure of the works of Nathalie Rheims, for which she appealed, but her approach could well turn against her. The writer and producer, last companion of Claude Berri, is therefore suspected of having concealed property belonging to the filmmaker and of not having brought it to the estate, “under an agreement with Darius Langmann“, report our colleagues. Nathalie Rheims could therefore be indicted for “complicity and concealment of breach of trust“, but that’s not all.
A “fabric of untruths”?
Nearby Parisian, Thomas Langmann was delighted with this development in his favor: “This decision pleases me because it shows that contrary to what the opposing parties say, my accusations are not the fruit of the imagination of a sick mind.“, commented the Oscar-winning producer for The Artist. However, the same day, a second judgment ordered the return to Nathalie Rheims of 12 of the 38 works seized. For their part, the writer’s lawyers denounced a “attempt to instrumentalize the procedure“, while Darius Langmann’s lawyer affirmed that his client considers this judgment as “a web of untruths“based on”fabrications” of his half-brother. But it is nevertheless a very clear court decision.
As a reminder, Claude Berri had two children from his first marriage to Anne-Marie Rassam: actor Julien Rassam (who died in 2002, aged 33) and producer Thomas Langmann (50). He had a third child, Darius Langmann, from his second marriage to costume designer Sylvie Gautrelet. The director and producer ended his life with Nathalie Rheims before dying in 2009, following a stroke, at the age of 74. In addition to leaving behind a number of films popular with the general public, Tchao Pantin, Manon of the Sources or Germinal as a director, but also Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra and Welcome to the Ch’tis as a producer, this great lover of contemporary art left his vast collection of works.
The legal war was declared when Thomas Langmann recognized in his half-brother a table by Giacometti, seen at his father’s, but absent from the estate. After conducting his own investigation, the producer claims to have listed more than 600 works (paintings, drawings, photos, sculptures and furniture) which would have been diverted from the estate. Accusation denied by Nathalie Rheims and Darius Langmann. The opposing party considering that Thomas Langmann is seeking to settle an unresolved dispute with his father, while seeking to pay off its debts, after several failures as a producer.