‘Horrible’ painting Italian family wanted to get rid of was a S$8.5M Picasso
A painting that an Italian family hung in their home for decades turned out to be a Picasso valued over S$8.5 million.
According to The Guardian, an Italian junk dealer found the painting in 1962 while clearing out the cellar of a home in Capri, Italy.
Painting was a long-time mystery for family
After finding the painting, Mr Luigi Lo Rosso took it home. He then hung it on a cheap frame in the living room where it stayed for decades.
His son Andrea, who is now 60, took a particular interest in it. Mr Andrea had always wondered who was responsible for the mysterious painting that adorned the walls of his home.
Source: The Guardian
Seeing similarities in the works of Picasso he found in an encyclopedia, he compared Picasso’s signature to the one on the painting.
“I kept telling my father it was similar, but he didn’t understand,” Mr Andrea said. He also added that his father “wasn’t a very cultured person”.
But not everyone in the family was as fascinated by the mysterious painting. Mr Andrea’s mum found the painting horrible and wanted it gone from her home.
Lifelong mystery finally solved?
Nearly a lifetime later, 62 years after Mr Lo Rosso first brought the painting home, the family now seemingly know the artist behind the work.
After years of investigations by art detectives and various experts, the Arcadia Foundation now believes the painting to be an authentic Picasso. It was valued at €6 million (S$8.5 million).
The authentication took years of work, with a thorough investigation into Picasso’s history.
Source: The Guardian
According to The Guardian, Picasso frequently visited Capri. The painting also bore many similarities to another one of his works, the Buste de femme (Dora Maar). It is believed that the painting was completed between 1930 and 1936.
The President of the Arcadia Foundation believes the two works could both be original Picasso works.
“They are probably two portraits, not exactly the same, of the same subject painted by Picasso at two different times,” he said.
Awaiting final say from the Picasso Foundation
However, the final say on whether the painting is an authentic Picasso remains with the Picasso Foundation in Málaga, Spain.
Mr Andrea Lo Rosso had contacted the foundation multiple times in the past to get the painting verified. Unfortunately, the foundation had always believed his claims to be false.
The foundation receives many messages each day from people who claim they have an original Picasso.
This time, it appears the family will soon have their answer as the Arcadia Foundation will present their evidence to the Picasso Foundation.
The painting could double in value to €12 million (S$17.2 million) if it is verified by the Picasso Foundation, according to Euro News.
As for Mr Andrea, he simply wants a lifelong question answered.
“We were just a normal family, and the aim has always been to establish the truth,” he said. “That painting is a piece of the Lo Rosso family of Pompeii and is not for sale.”
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Featured image adapted from The Guardian.
