Picassos seized as legal row looms over lost pictures

71 year old Pierre Le Guennec said he worked for the Spanish-born artist in the later part of his life, installing alarm systems at Picasso’s homes. He said Picasso or his wife gave him the works – believed to number more than 270 – during the last three years of Picasso’s life. The artist died in 1973.

M Le Guennec wrote to Claude Picasso, the artist’s son and the administrator of his estate, in a bid to get the canvases authenticated. The two finally met in September according to the French newspaper Liberation.

“If the works are genuine it probably wouldn’t have a material impact on the market.” James Roundell, chair of the Society of London Art Dealers

The works, dating from the artist’s most creative period from 1900 to 1932, were hitherto unknown and include notebooks and paintings. The Picasso family has launched a law-suit alleging receipt of stolen goods.

‘Presents’ claim dimissed

Claude Picasso refuted M Le Guennec’s claim that he had received the paintings as gifts, telling Liberation that his father would not have given so many works to anyone.

“That doesn’t stand up, it was a part of his life,” M Picasso claimed.

After Picasso’s heirs filed the complaint, officers from France’s Central Office for the Fight against Traffic in Cultural Goods impounded the works and M Le Guennec was taken into custody, Liberation said.

Blue period work included

Among the 271 items recovered from the haul were nine Cubist works, which alone it is estimated could be worth up to 40 million euros.

Also reported to be among items in the collection were an aquarelle (water colour) thought to be from from Picasso’s blue period, portraits of his first wife Olga and a number of gouaches and lithographs.

But one London art dealer has told Channel 4 News that a dispute over ownership of the works would mean they would be “almost impossible to sell”.

James Roundell who is chair of the Society of London Art Dealers said that before the find could be greeted with the excitement normally afforded the recovery of “lost” works, the art world would have to be satisfied that the material is genuine. He also agreed with the Picasso family’s claim that a gift of so many works seemed out of character.

“On the face of it, it does sound odd that Picasso would have given away such a large amount of works.”

Sale likely to be a long way off

Mr Roundell said that finding the work was only the first step in a lengthy process before it could be sold. First they have to be certified as genuine and since there is a dispute between M Le Guennec and the Picasso family, it could be some time before this is forthcoming.

He also doubted whether the find will have a significant impact on the market for Picasso’s works: “The market for Picasso is hot essentially,” he said.

“But until we’ve actually seen the works and established their authenticity, it is pretty hard to say what they could be worth. Gouaches have gone for £20m and a really wonderful ‘blue period’ work could go for that.

“Essentially Picasso didn’t destroy anything; he kept everything he did and so there are enormous quantities of his work out there. If the works are genuine it probably wouldn’t have a material impact on the market.”