Picasso Painting Worth Millions Discovered in a Basement by a Junk Dealer in Capri
A junk dealer possibly found a treasure worth millions of dollars in an ordinary basement. In 1962, Luigi Lo Rosso got his hands on a peculiar-looking painting, while going through the basement of a villa in Capri, All That's Interesting reported. Being a junk dealer, Luigi Lo Rosso was used to digging through weird locations, in pursuit of finding valuable things. The man didn't see anything worthy in the painting, that would fetch him substantial money at his pawn shop. Therefore, he decided to take the painting to his family home, where it remained placed for decades. In a surprising turn of events, almost six decades down the road, an expert has come forward claiming that the peculiar painting could be of the legendary Picasso.
Unremarkable painting
The painting was in a rolled-up canvas when Luigi Lo Rosso unearthed it from the basement, CNN reported. It features an asymmetrical image of a woman, who is now believed to be French photographer and poet Dora Maar, as per Luca Gentile Canal Marcante, an art expert and honorary president of the Swiss-based art restoration non-profit Arcadia Foundation. Marr was allegedly Picasso's lover and had been a muse for a number of his paintings. Lo Rosso noted Picasso's signature on the painting, but at the time did not think much of it. The junk dealer put the painting on a cheap canvas and gifted it to his wife. The woman also didn't believe that the painting could be sold and hence hung it on the wall of their family restaurant.
Son's curiosity
Andrea Lo Rosso became more and more curious regarding the painting's origin as time went on, CNN reported. “When mom hung it on the wall to decorate the house, renaming it ‘the scribble’ due to the strangeness of the woman’s face depicted, I wasn’t even born yet,” he said. “From Dad’s stories, I know that there were two canvases recovered from the Capri dump site. However, only one was signed by Picasso. Both were covered with earth and lime and my mother spread them out and washed them with detergent, as if they were carpets.” In the 1980s Andrea Lo Rosso got to know about “Buste de femme Dora Maar” by Picasso, and further research found that the painter had spent time in Capri. He communicated to his parents that they could have the legendary painter's creation in their hands.
Long wait for results
The family connected with several art historians to analyze their painting, CNN reported. Most of them told the family that their painting was not authentic, and offered to buy it from them. This aroused the family's suspicion who after much research, connected with Italy’s patrimony police. Initially, the patrimony police thought the painting was stolen, but let the family keep it, because there was no real proof that the creation was Picasso's. In 2019, they took the painting and locked it in a vault.
Mystery Solved
Cinzia Altieri, a graphologist for a patrimony court in Milan was brought on board by authorities to check Picasso's signature on the painting, CNN reported. After working for months, she had a clear result. “There is no doubt that the signature is his,” she said in a statement to local Italian media Monday. “There was no evidence to demonstrate its apocryphal nature.” As per her estimates, the value of the painting is around €6 million ($6.6 million), according to the current standards. Luigi Lo Rosso passed away in 2021, but his family is happy that the mystery of the 'scribble' is finally solved. The family is now awaiting the word of the Picasso Foundation, which has the final say in these matters. “I’m happy but let’s wait to toast, there is still one step to take before we consider this incredible story over,” Andrea Lo Rosso said. “I continue to work as I do every day in the hope that even in Paris they will be convinced of the authenticity of the painting.” The family wants to auction off the authenticated painting in honor of their patriarch.