Accident – death – Obituary News :

Suspect Arrested in Brutal Killing of American Art Dealer in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian police have arrested a suspect in the brutal killing of an American art dealer who was the co-owner of a prominent gallery in Manhattan. Brent Sikkema, 75, was found dead on Monday with 18 stab wounds in his Rio de Janeiro apartment.

The suspect, identified as Alejandro Triana Trevez, was apprehended near the city of Uberaba, in the neighboring state of Minas Gerais. Trevez, who is believed to be Cuban, was on the run and was found resting in a gas station. He allegedly took $3,000 from Sikkema’s home, leading investigators to believe that theft was the motive behind the homicide.

According to Detective Felipe Curi, who leads the state police homicide unit, initial findings suggest that Trevez came from Sao Paulo specifically to commit the crime. His return to Sao Paulo indicates that he may have had privileged information about Sikkema or his home.

Law enforcement has obtained a 30-day prison warrant against Trevez, allowing them to further investigate the case and determine if there was any prior connection between the suspect and the victim.

Brent Sikkema was the co-owner of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., a prominent art gallery in Manhattan. The gallery, founded in 1991, showcases works by renowned artists such as Jeffrey Gibson, Arturo Herrera, Sheila Hicks, Vik Muniz, and Kara Walker.

Sikkema began his career in 1971 as the director of exhibitions at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York. In 1976, he opened his first gallery in Boston, marking the beginning of his successful journey in the art world.

In 2021, Sikkema described himself as a “chaos kind of guy” during a trip to Zurich, Switzerland, and expressed his fondness for Brazil and Cuba as preferred travel destinations.

Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist whose work has been showcased in Sikkema’s gallery, paid tribute to his friend’s great “humanity.” Muniz expressed his admiration for Sikkema’s fearlessness, kindness, and sophistication, which had a profound impact on his own artistic journey.

“I owe a lot of who I am as an artist to him, and with him, part of that seems to have disappeared forever,” Muniz wrote in an Instagram post, accompanying a photo of Sikkema and his mother.

The arrest of the suspect brings some closure to the tragic incident that shocked the art community and residents of Rio de Janeiro. The investigation will continue as authorities delve deeper into the motive behind the killing and any potential connections between the suspect and the victim.

By Diane Jeantet, The Associated Press

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