Brazilian police investigating the homicide of Brent Sikkema, a distinguished New York artwork vendor who was found stabbed to death last month in his Rio de Janeiro condominium, at the moment are looking for the arrest of his husband, Daniel Sikkema.
It was a surprising twist in a case that has captivated the artwork world. Brent Sikkema represented quite a lot of main up to date artists, and his gallery was making ready to assist certainly one of them, Jeffrey Gibson, characterize america this spring on the Venice Biennale, essentially the most prestigious exhibition on this planet.
A lawyer for Daniel Sikkema, Fabiana Marques, stated that he was harmless and that he remained in New York, the place he was “shocked” by the most recent improvement.
When Brent Sikkema was discovered slain in Rio, investigators stated that at the least $40,000 had been stolen. After recovering surveillance footage that they stated confirmed his former bodyguard, a 30-year-old man named Alejandro Triana Prevez, coming into and exiting the house, they took Mr. Prevez into custody about 600 miles northwest of the town. (The police initially recognized Mr. Prevez with the surname Trevez.)
A lawyer for Mr. Prevez, Gregorio Andrade, stated that Mr. Prevez claims that Daniel Sikkema had supplied him $200,000 to hold out the assassination. “He manipulated my consumer,” Mr. Andrade stated.
The Sikkemas have been married for practically 15 years however have been locked in divorce proceedings since 2022, which included a battle over the custody phrases of their son, who’s now 13.
Daniel Sikkema’s lawyer, Ms. Marques, stated her consumer was harmless of the homicide. “It’s necessary to notice that Daniel was not given a possibility to be heard by police, regardless of proactively providing himself for questioning through e-mail,” she stated.
She questioned Mr. Prevez’s account. “Alejandro’s technique of accusing somebody of being the mastermind behind the crime, particularly whereas being flanked by his attorneys, clearly goals at securing a extra lenient sentence,” she argued.
It was uncommon to see Daniel Sikkema on the openings and closings of the exhibitions his husband staged, in line with buddies of the artwork vendor. He emigrated to america after a tough childhood in Cuba and an early maturity working as a male escort in Spain. He chronicled that journey in a 2006 autobiography known as “Ticket to Paradise,” which described how he escaped the island and made a residing.
On a night shortly after Brent Sikkema was discovered useless, Daniel Sikkema posted {a photograph} of a black rose on social media, the place he goes by his start title, Daniel García Carrera. He later wrote a brief publish in Spanish to precise his grief. “Our son and I cry for you with out tears, we cry for you in the way in which that hurts essentially the most,” he stated.
Pals of the artwork vendor have continued to mourn his loss of life.
“His coronary heart was within the artwork,” stated Arlene Shechet, an artist who was represented by Brent Sikkema’s gallery, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., for a number of years. “Being a businessman was by no means his inspiration.”
The previous prime editor of Artforum, David Velasco, had turn into near Brent Sikkema, and was planning to go to the vendor in Rio when he realized of the homicide.
“He was a pal and in some methods a father determine,” Mr. Velasco stated. “I bear in mind seeing him and Daniel after the start of their son. They have been over the moon.”
“Each a part of this,” Mr. Velasco stated, “is so heartbreaking.”
Ana Ionova contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro.