A painting discovered by a junk dealer in the cellar of a home in Capri is being hailed as an original portrait by Pablo Picasso, according to Italian experts. The dealer, Luigi Lo Rosso, found the artwork in 1962, but it was often dismissed by his wife as “horrible” reported The Guardian
After unrolling the canvas and bringing it home to Pompeii, Lo Rosso hung it in a cheap frame on his living room wall for decades. The portrait, believed to depict Dora Maara French photographer and Picasso’s muse features the artist's distinctive signature in the top left corner, though Lo Rosso did not initially recognise its significance
It wasn't until his son Andrea began exploring art history through an encyclopedia gifted by an aunt that curiosity about the painting grew. The family sought the expertise of art detective Maurizio Seracini and other specialists, leading to confirmation from graphologist Cinzia Altieri of the Arcadia Foundation that the signature was indeed Picasso's. “After all the other examinations of the painting were done, I was tasked with studying the signature,” Altieri stated. “There is no doubt that the signature is his. There was no evidence suggesting that it was false” reported The Guardian
Picasso, who frequently visited Capri, likely created the artwork between 1930 and 1936, with its style closely resembling his painting "Buste de femme (Dora Maar)". Andrea Lo Rosso, now 60, recalls that his father, unversed in art, had no idea who Picasso was when he found the painting. “He wasn’t a very cultured person,” Andrea explained. “I kept telling my father it was similar, but he didn’t understand. But as I grew up, I kept wondering”
There were times when the family contemplated discarding the painting, especially since Andrea’s mother persistently called it “horrible.” Despite reaching out multiple times to the Picasso Foundation in Málaga, Andrea reported that the organisation showed little interest, believing the claims to be false. The painting is now securely stored in a vault in Milan
Picasso, who passed away in 1973, created over 14,000 works during his lifetime, and the foundation receives numerous inquiries daily from people claiming to own original pieces. Luca Marcante, president of the Arcadia Foundation, speculated that there could be two versions of the same work. “They could both be an original,” he told Giorno newspaper. “One thing is for sure: the one found in Capri and now kept in a vault in Milan is authentic”
Marcante is preparing to present the evidence to the Picasso Foundation. “I am curious to know what they say,” Andrea Lo Rosso remarked. “We were just a normal family, and the aim has always been to establish the truth. We’re not interested in making money out of it”