The acquisition was not straight forward. Helen Guiterman and the Art Fund had agreed that the works should go to the National Gallery of Scotland to complement their existing collection of Roberts' work. However the Art Fund became suspicious when the paintings failed to materialise following Helen Guiterman's death in 1998. The Art Fund began to investigate and discovered that the grandson of Helen Guiterman's cousin, was claiming to be her executor. In 2006, following an extensive investigation by the police and HM Revenue and Customs, the fraudulant executor was sentenced pleaded guilty to charges of false accounting and forgery. He had forged her will making himself entitled to her estate, including the collection by David Roberts. David Barrie, Director of the Art Fund stated, 'the Art Fund has gone to great lengths to ensure that Guiterman's generous wishes are fulfilled and I'm delighted that this impressive collection will at last join the National Galleries of Scotland'.

Provenance

Helen Guiterman.