Italy: a possible P. Picasso original found in the basement

The original painting of Pablo Picasso found in Italy

Art experts say a painting discovered more than 60 years ago in a basement on the island of Capri by a second-hand dealer may be an original work by Pablo Picasso. 

Since its discovery, the painting has been hanging in a cheap frame on a wall in the dealer's living room. Art experts are giving hope to the current owners that the asymmetrical portrait of a woman may in fact be an original by Picasso. 

Il Giorno newspaper reported on Friday that a study by experts at the Arcadia Foundation in Switzerland has shown that Picasso's signature on the painting is genuine. 

Unexpected finding during the routine cleaning

Luigi La Rosso, an Italian from Pompeii, discovered the rolled canvas in 1962 while cleaning the cellar of a villa on the Mediterranean island of Capri. He took the painting with him and hung it in his house. 

L. Lo Rosso's son, Andrea, told journalists that his mother hated the painting, called it ugly, and always wanted to get rid of it.

"My parents were simple people who knew nothing about art", Il Giorno quoted him as saying.

The need for authentication despite common coincidences

One day, his son noticed Picasso's signature on the painting. Together with his brother, they tried to verify the work's provenance and went to Paris to show the painting to the Picasso Museum. However, the reaction there was cautious, so Lo Rosso took the painting home. 

However, he did not give up and commissioned experts to examine the work. Cinzia Altieri, a graphologist from the Arcadia Foundation, is now convinced that the signature is, in fact, that of Picasso, who was a frequent visitor to Capri in the 1950s. 

The painting is said to be by the French photographer Dora Maar, one of Picasso's muses. According to Luca Marcante, founder of the Arcadia Foundation, its value could reach €6 million.

Based on ELTA reports