Picasso heirs sue after retired electrician reveals 271 artworks in his garage

Morning Call ^

[Red in Blue PA]

PARIS — Pablo Picasso almost never stopped creating, leaving thousands of drawings, paintings and sculptures that lure crowds to museums and mansions worldwide. Now, a retired electrician says that 271 of the master's creations have been sitting for decades in his garage.

Picasso's heirs are claiming theft, the art world is savoring what appears to be an authentic find, and the workman, who installed burglar alarms for Picasso, is defending what he calls a gift from the most renowned artist of the 20th century.

Picasso's son and other heirs say they were approached by electrician Pierre Le Guennec in September to authenticate the undocumented art from Picasso's signature Cubist period.

[Mr Inviso]

“If they were not reported as stolen until today, that seems a little fishy.

Picasso was a nut. He gave his stuff away all of the time. I tend to believe him. If he was a thief, wouldn’t he have sold this stuff piecemeal over the years?”

If it were here in the US rather than in France, it most likely wouldn’t matter, as the matter would have blown the statute of limitations anyway.

[ansel12]

I have an artist friend that knew Picasso and visited his home at times, he has given me a lot of stuff over the years.

[derllak]

The dude is so over-rated.

[Conan the Librarian]

YES!

Thank You for remembering!

[Liaison]

This action by the family of Picasso is for control of the market, the supply and demand of his work. The family knows how many known works exist and therefore control the value of all pieces that exist. Two hundred and seventy one more items, especially rare in the golden age of Picasso's life, and in the open market will devalue their fortune, even if thousands of works exist. The corollary is the diamond market and the control on the distribution per year of that commodity and the introduction of blood diamonds into a tightly controlled system.

[BunnySlippers]

1. They have never been reported stolen.

2. They can’t prove that the electrician actually took them unlawfully.

3 They were never sold in the black market.

This is an odd case. He may have taken one or two at a time. But he never profited from them.

I’d vote “not guilty”. But he may be.