A Junk Dealer Found a Painting in a Basement. Experts Say It’s an Original Picasso
A painting discovered by a junk dealer in the basement of an Italian villa over sixty years ago is believed to be a creation of Pablo Picasso and could fetch millions, according to specialists. Luigi Lo Rosso, a junk dealer from Pompeii, Italy, found the rolled canvas in 1962 while scavenging the basement of a villa on the island of Capri. The painting, which depicts an asymmetrical representation of a woman, is thought to be a portrait of Dora Maar, a French photographer and poet who was Picasso’s muse.
The painting features Picasso’s recognizable signature in the upper left corner, which has been confirmed as genuine by Cinzia Altieri, a graphologist from the Arcadia Foundation. Altieri spent months comparing the signature to those on Picasso’s original works, concluding that there is no doubt it is his.
The painting is currently stored in a vault in Milan and is valued at approximately €6 million ($6.6 million) based on the current art market. If it receives certification from the Picasso Foundation in Paris, its value could increase even further. The Lo Rosso family plans to auction the painting in memory of their father, who wished for the artwork to be authenticated and sold.
