Leonardo Patterson, Controversial Costa Rican Collector, Passes Away at 82
Patterson's legacy is marked by his extensive collection of pre-Columbian art and legal battles over the ownership of culturally significant artifacts.
Leonardo Patterson, a Costa Rican known for his extensive and controversial collection of pre-Columbian art, died on February 11 in Bautzen, Germany, at the age of 82. Local authorities confirmed the news, but details regarding the cause of death have not been disclosed.
Born in Cahuita, Limón, Patterson’s life spanned from humble beginnings among yuca fields to amassing a vast array of ancestral art pieces, many of which have been claimed by numerous Latin American governments as having been exported illegally from their respective countries.
Despite lacking formal education, Patterson became an influential figure in the art collecting world, described by those close to him as a 'mythical' figure and a 'guru' of pre-Columbian art.
In 1995, he served as Costa Rica’s representative to the United Nations.
Patterson's history, however, was marred by legal troubles, including arrests in Mexico and Spain, as well as two convictions in Germany linked to his collecting practices.
In November 2015, a German civil court found him guilty of possession and illegal exportation of cultural property, specifically related to two wooden Olmec heads, which he was ordered to return to Mexico.
He appealed the decision, pending further legal developments.
Other parts of his collection, which included thousands of pieces claimed by Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, did not face legal repercussions in Germany due to the country’s legislation, which offered no penalties for artifacts that had been irregularly imported more than ten years earlier.
In a separate criminal case, Patterson received a sentence of one year and three months of house arrest along with a 36,000 euro fine for selling a counterfeit Olmec bust.
This bust had been exhibited in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 1996, prompting investigations by Interpol and initiating legal actions across five countries since 2004.
As of 2016, Mexico continued to pursue legal and diplomatic avenues to recover 691 artifacts, being the only country that paid the 90,000 euros required by Germany for the storage and analysis of these works.
In contrast, Costa Rica struggled with its claim of 497 items due to the high costs involved, with the two objects it managed to recover—a jar and a stone metate—disappearing in 2010 from its embassy in Madrid.
In his later years, Patterson resided in Munich, Germany, selling polo horses, Rolls Royce automobiles, and properties in the U.S. and Europe to sustain his lifestyle.
He maintained a low profile, granting only one interview to the Associated Press since 2008 and sending a few letters to La Nación, defending his innocence and challenging the legality of the claims against him.
Patterson viewed his collection as the embodiment of pre-Hispanic America's spirit, contending that Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, were pursuing 'the wrong person' in their claims.
Born in Cahuita, Limón, Patterson’s life spanned from humble beginnings among yuca fields to amassing a vast array of ancestral art pieces, many of which have been claimed by numerous Latin American governments as having been exported illegally from their respective countries.
Despite lacking formal education, Patterson became an influential figure in the art collecting world, described by those close to him as a 'mythical' figure and a 'guru' of pre-Columbian art.
In 1995, he served as Costa Rica’s representative to the United Nations.
Patterson's history, however, was marred by legal troubles, including arrests in Mexico and Spain, as well as two convictions in Germany linked to his collecting practices.
In November 2015, a German civil court found him guilty of possession and illegal exportation of cultural property, specifically related to two wooden Olmec heads, which he was ordered to return to Mexico.
He appealed the decision, pending further legal developments.
Other parts of his collection, which included thousands of pieces claimed by Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, did not face legal repercussions in Germany due to the country’s legislation, which offered no penalties for artifacts that had been irregularly imported more than ten years earlier.
In a separate criminal case, Patterson received a sentence of one year and three months of house arrest along with a 36,000 euro fine for selling a counterfeit Olmec bust.
This bust had been exhibited in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 1996, prompting investigations by Interpol and initiating legal actions across five countries since 2004.
As of 2016, Mexico continued to pursue legal and diplomatic avenues to recover 691 artifacts, being the only country that paid the 90,000 euros required by Germany for the storage and analysis of these works.
In contrast, Costa Rica struggled with its claim of 497 items due to the high costs involved, with the two objects it managed to recover—a jar and a stone metate—disappearing in 2010 from its embassy in Madrid.
In his later years, Patterson resided in Munich, Germany, selling polo horses, Rolls Royce automobiles, and properties in the U.S. and Europe to sustain his lifestyle.
He maintained a low profile, granting only one interview to the Associated Press since 2008 and sending a few letters to La Nación, defending his innocence and challenging the legality of the claims against him.
Patterson viewed his collection as the embodiment of pre-Hispanic America's spirit, contending that Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, were pursuing 'the wrong person' in their claims.
