A photo that a junk dealer discovered while cleaning out the basement of a house on Capri has turned out to be a real treasure: it is an original by Pablo Picasso and is worth several million euros. The finder’s wife hated the painting, which hung in the living room for decades, and actually wanted to get rid of it.
The junk dealer Luigi Lo Rosso happened upon the painting while cleaning out a cellar on the Italian island of Capri and took it with him to Pompeii. It hung there in a cheap frame for decades; For a long time no one suspected the real value of the photo.
Woman found the photo ‘terrible’
Luigi’s wife didn’t like the photo at all, as their son Andrea told The Guardian: “My mother didn’t want to keep it – she kept saying it was terrible.”
Son recognized Picasso’s signature
After his studies, Andrea already suspected that the female portrait could be a great art treasure. He had received an art history encyclopedia as a gift and noticed the similarities with other works by the Spanish artist and their signature. The family eventually hired a team of experts to investigate Andrea’s suspicions.
The investigations lasted several years. Ultimately, the experts discovered that the signature on the painting came from Picasso. The estimated value of the work of art: approximately six million euros! The woman depicted is believed to be Dora Maar, a French photographer and painter who was Picasso’s lover and muse.
Family not interested in money
Picasso was a frequent visitor to Capri – Luigi Lo Rosso was from the southern Italian island. “He found the painting before I was even born and had no idea who Picasso was,” the son said. The now deceased son did not want to hear about his son’s suggestion that the photo could be by this artist. But his son really wanted to reveal the secret. “We were a normal family and our goal was always to find out the truth. We are not interested in making money from it,” explains Andrea Lo Rosso.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
