http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/29/france.picasso.works/index.html?iref=allsearch
so this 71 year old dude tries to authenticate nearly 300 Picasso works (real) and then gets sued by the Picasso family for stealing stuff they didnt know existed until this week.
estimated value @ $78,000,000… that might be euros actually.
how do you think this will play out?
the family will win guaranteed
Depends on if he can explain how he obtained them. The family didn’t even seem to know they existed, so pending proof I think they are just trying to keep them off the open market.
which is why unless they have proof as to how they were obtained they were probably stolen.
harsh reality
Don’t you have to prove guilt not innocence?
Not in civil court
Does seem kinda sketchy, though…
Guy worked for Picasso for 3 years right before he died… Probably swiped that shit.
Gay, I don’t understand that someone can just claim something is stolen.
While I do understand he prolly did swipe them can they prove it?
Picasso’s suck anyways. The guy should have been smarter about it and had the paintings in a hidden vault in Russia or something.
I’d burn them if they win the case if they were still in my possession or sell them on the black market.
If they were obtained legitly I don’t think he’d have needed authentication. I cant imagine 200+ works of valuable art being bought/sold on speculation. Plus his claim to have known the artist in his final years is suspect cause if they were given to him directly as a gift or whatever, he wouldn’t really need to have them verified. I hope he gets away with it though.
He would if he was planning on selling them. You can’t just drop a bunch of unknown works on the market without being authenticated if you want them to fetch any kind of money. You know, like 78 million worth.
Seriously, if that’s true, FUCK YOU.
Nah i think he could get 80% value without authentication.
Think of it as a rare car or Watch. The kind of guys that collect will know enough to authenticate the works themselves. And collectors are always looking for sitautions like this to scoop up. they’ll get a speculation discount and then go get them authenticated themselves afterwards or bring an expert with them.
There is a fantastic documentary on a watch broker in Europe that does this… flies all over looking at Rolex collections. Unofficial authentication is enough.
LoL I would if the family tried to screw me and the courts tried to take them from me. Boo yah how you like those apples?
Seriously though what if he befriend Picasso right before he died? Old people do crazy things all the time. What if Picasso said hey buddy you want all my old art shit? Yah sure Picasso I’ll take that junk. Now it is his word against Picasso’s family’s. How can you prove anything its all subjective and his word verse yours.
My wife’s old timer neighbor gave me an AWESOME boat engine for no reason. Its a super old school outboard probably worth a good buck. Something like this but blue and chrome. If the family sued me for it I wouldn’t have any proof except that I took him for a ride in my corvette and he gave me a boat engine. LoL
Did you even read the article? It clearly states when asked how he got the works he had no answer. You’d seriously BURN the works of a world renowned (deceased) artist? You don’t like art do you?
bing, there are a lot more forgeries in the art world, no way in hell he’d get 80%.
i know that… but experts authenticate just by sight… collectors of high dollar art will be able to do the same or bring an expert with them.
same way people authenticate watches with no paper work…
usually they get the paint (carbon?) dated as one of the final steps in authenticating.
you can only do so much visually before you get into testing chemically. forgers are so good at their craft.
Wow I could dress really nice with $78 million! 
I think the family is going to win unfortunately. Art is cool and all, but so much snobby BS and politics surround it. Finders keepers, losers weepers in my opinion.
I don’t really think that boat engine is worth much
