CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 8 septembre 1999

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s903B0117 { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:70.9pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-70.9pt; text-align:justify } .sB54F21D0 { width:1.54pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s38DD6A04 { width:18.2pt; display:inline-block } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } .sB4D5CB4E { width:4.94pt; display:inline-block } .s5E919E5E { width:41.05pt; display:inline-block } .s85226119 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; font-size:10pt } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s7A5A2521 { font-family:Arial; font-size:10pt; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s2CE7C1B9 { font-family:Arial; font-size:10pt; font-style:italic } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     446   8.9.99   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF BEYELER v. ITALY   Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 2.30 p.m.     The applicant     The case concerns an application (no. 33202/96) brought by a Swiss national, Ernst Beyeler, who was born in 1921 and lives in Basel (Switzerland). He is an art gallery owner.   Summary of the facts     The case concerns Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “The Gardener”, which Mr Beyeler claims he bought for 600 million lire in 1977 through an agent. In 1983 the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage became aware that Mr Beyeler owned the painting. On 2   May 1988 Mr Beyeler sold the painting to an American company for a collection in Venice for 8,500,000 dollars. On 24 November 1988, using its right of pre-emption and claiming that Mr Beyeler had failed to inform the ministry that in 1977 the painting had been bought on his behalf, Italy bought the painting for the sale price agreed on in 1977.   Complaint     The applicant complains that his right to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions guaranteed under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights has been infringed.   Procedure     The application was lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 5   September 1996. Having declared the application admissible, the Commission adopted a report on 8 September 1998 in which it expressed the opinion that there had been no violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention either taken alone (twenty votes to ten) or combined with Article 14 of the Convention (twenty-three votes to seven) and that there had been no violation of Article 18 (unanimously). It referred the case to the Court on 2   November 1998.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Luzius Wildhaber (Swiss), President Elisabeth Palm (Swedish), Luigi Ferrari Bravo [1] (Italian), Antonio Pastor Ridruejo (Spanish), Giovanni Bonello (Maltese), Pranas Kūris (Lithuanian), Riza Türmen (Turkish), Jean-Paul Costa (French), Françoise Tulkens (Belgian), Viera Strážnická (Slovakian), Marc Fischbach (Luxemburger), Volodymyr Butkevych (Ukrainian), Josep Casadevall (Andorran), Hanne Sophie Greve (Norwegian), András Baka (Hungarian), Rait Maruste (Estonian), Snejana Botoucharova (Bulgarian), Judges , Jerzy Makarczyk (Polish), Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Wilhelmina Thomassen (Dutch), Substitute Judges ,   and also Paul Mahoney , Deputy Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Vitaliano Esposito , Co-agent , Guido Raimondi and Andrea Sacucci , Counsel ;   Applicant:   Pierre Lalive , Teresa Giovannini and Henry Peter , Counsel .     After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. Judgment will be delivered at a later date.   Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92) or   Emma Hellyer (telephone: (0)3 90 21 42 15) Fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91     The European Court of Human Rights was set up in 1959 in Strasbourg to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. On 1 November 1998 a full-time Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Commission and Court. [1] Elected as the judge in respect of San Marino, appointed by the Italian Government to sit as national judge in this case