Rybolovlev-Bouvier feud becomes documentary series

Few legal battles have cast as long a shadow over the Principality as the dispute between Dmitry Rybolovlev, the Russian billionaire long resident in Monaco, and Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier. Now that feud is the subject of a new documentary series, The Oligarch and the Art Dealer, directed by Andreas Dalsgaard and developed with Christoph Jörg.

The three-part production takes viewers inside the opaque world of high-end art dealing, where vast sums change hands far from public scrutiny. Rybolovlev, who owns the Hôtel de Paris penthouse and once held a prominent stake in AS Monaco, accused Bouvier of systematically overcharging him for works acquired over many years. Bouvier, who operated through the Geneva freeport system, denied wrongdoing. The resulting litigation spanned multiple jurisdictions and generated headlines across Europe.

For Monaco residents, the affair touched on broader questions about the Principality's role in the global wealth ecosystem — and about the due diligence that surrounds major transactions conducted in or near its borders. The documentary appears to probe those questions directly, offering a rare long-form examination of a case that Monaco's own courts were drawn into at various points.