With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Huge Picasso cache not stolen, lawyer says

Paris, France (CNN) -- A retired French electrician who revealed that he has 271 previously unknown works by artist Pablo Picasso did not steal them, his lawyer told CNN Tuesday.

"He kept them with love," Evelyne Rees said....

Le Guennec contacted the Picasso estate by mail in January to request certification of authenticity for the works: a collection of cubist collages, drawings, lithographs, notebooks and a watercolor.

Along with the letter, Le Guennec included 26 photographs of previously unpublished Picasso pieces.

But he found himself slapped with a lawsuit filed by the artist's son, Claude Picasso, and five other heirs who say the works are stolen.

The lawsuit was first reported Monday by the French newspaper Liberation.

His approach to the Picasso family shows that he is innocent, his lawyer said....
Read entire article at CNN.com