Else Beekman
A painting discovered in 1962 by Luigi Lo Rosso, a scrap dealer clearing out a house on the Italian island of Capri, has been identified by art experts as a genuine work by the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.
The artwork, which had been rolled up and left in a basement, was taken home by Lo Rosso. He then hung it on his wall without realising its significance. The painting, signed with Picasso’s distinctive signature, went unrecognised for decades, remaining in a cheap frame in the family’s home.
The discovery gained attention when Lo Rosso’s son, Andrea, came across a similar painting in an art history encyclopedia given to him by his aunt. Noticing the resemblance, the family eventually consulted a team of experts. After years of “complex research,” it was confirmed that the signature was indeed that of Picasso himself, as reported by The Guardian.
Extensive authentication process
The key to confirming the painting’s authenticity was the analysis conducted by Cinzia Altieri, a graphologist and member of the Arcadia Foundation’s scientific committee, which specialises in art appraisal and restoration. “After all other tests were completed, I was tasked with studying the signature,” Altieri told The Guardian. “I worked on it for months, comparing it with several of his original works. There is no doubt the signature is his. Nothing indicates it is a forgery.”
The subject of the painting is Dora Maar, a renowned French photographer and painter who is often referred to as Picasso’s muse. The work is believed to be Buste de Femme (Dora Maar), a piece Picasso painted in 1938. It had previously been stolen in 1999 from the yacht of a Saudi sheikh and was recovered 20 years later by Dutch art detective Arthur Brand.
Family’s struggle for recognition
Andrea Lo Rosso, now 60 years old, recounted how he struggled for years to convince his family that the painting was special. “I kept telling my father that the signature matched, but he didn’t understand. Even as I grew older, I couldn’t let it go,” Andrea told The Guardian. His mother was also unimpressed by the piece, frequently stating that she found it “terrible” and didn’t want to keep it.
Valued at 6 million euros
Andrea even reached out to the Picasso Foundation in Málaga, the authority on authenticating Picasso’s works. However, the foundation dismissed it as a forgery and showed no interest. Now, the Arcadia Foundation plans to present the gathered evidence to the Picasso Foundation for official recognition. If the painting is confirmed as authentic, Andrea intends to auction it. For now, the artwork remains in a secure vault, with its value estimated at €6 million euros.
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