Italian Home Painting Presumed to Be Picasso Work
Father Criticizes, Mother Harsh, Son Emotional
"Likely a Work Modeled on Picasso's Lover Dora Maar"
A painting hanging in a private home in Italy has become a hot topic as it is presumed to be a work by Pablo Picasso, the 'master of modern art.'
According to foreign media including the AP News on the 3rd (local time), Andrea Lo Rosso (60) recently received a result from an appraisal institution stating that the artwork appears to be a Picasso after years of efforts to verify its authenticity. He said, "My father, who was from the island of Capri in southern Italy, accidentally discovered it in 1962 and brought it when he moved to Pompeii," adding, "Since then, this painting has hung on the living room wall of our house in a cheap frame for decades."
According to Andrea, his mother described the artwork as 'terrible' because she was more accustomed to landscape paintings. Andrea saw Picasso's works in a middle school textbook and thought the painting hanging at home might be an important piece, but he could not convince his teacher or father.
However, his curiosity continued, and in his early twenties, Andrea took the painting with his younger brother to the Picasso Museum in Paris. The museum staff said, "It can't be an original," upon seeing the painting Andrea brought, but suggested leaving it for a more detailed examination. However, Andrea did not leave the painting there.
Andrea tried for years to verify the painting's authenticity but was scammed and lost money in the process. Recently, however, Andrea received an appraisal result from the Arcadia Foundation, which deals with art appraisal and restoration, confirming it as a Picasso. The paint used in the painting Andrea submitted for appraisal matched the paint Picasso used during that period, and the signature on the upper left of the painting was confirmed to be Picasso's. It was also said that the artwork appears to be modeled on Dora Maar, Picasso's lover and photographer.
Experts estimate that the artwork Andrea had appraised was completed between 1930 and 1936. The painting is currently stored in a safe in Milan and is awaiting the final judgment from the Picasso Foundation in Malaga, Spain. The Arcadia Foundation estimates that if the painting is indeed a Picasso, it could be worth approximately 6.6 million dollars (about 8.75 billion won).
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