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Tag: pablo picasso

  • Stolen Gauguin Painting Recovered in Italy

    Two paintings stolen from a house in London in 1970 by renowned French artists Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard were found hanging on an Italian autoworker’s kitchen wall.

    The unnamed Fiat mechanic bought the paintings at an auction for roughly $30 in 1975, not having any idea of their actual worth. The man had hung them in his kitchen in his home in Turin, stating he thought Gaugin’s still life of fruit in bowls complimented the dining area. He then took them to Sicily upon his retirement. A friend eventually grew suspicious of the actual value of the pieces, and alerted the Italian heritage police last summer.

    The Gauguin painting, entitled Fruits sur une Table ou Nature au Petit Chien (Fruits on a Table or Still Life with a Small Dog), is thought to have been painted in 1889 and is worth anywhere between $13 million and $41 million. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist who was recognized for his experimental use of colors, and for a style that was distinctly different from Impressionism. His work was influential to Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

    The Bonnard painting is titled La Femme aux Deux Fauteuils (“Woman with Two Armchairs”). Pierre Bonnard is regarded as one of the greatest colorists in modern art, especially in areas built with small brush marks and close values. He was known to at times photograph his subjects before painting them, to better asses the color scheme.

    Italy’s Culture Ministry unveiled the two paintings Wednesday. The art was allegedly ditched on a Paris-to-Turin train not long after being stolen, and wound up in the Italian Railways lost and found. They eventually were included in a lost-property auction.

    During a news conference on the matter, head of the Italian Heritage Police Gen. Mariano Mossa commented, “There are all the elements for a nice novel; it is very unique.”

    Since the London couple the paintings were stolen from have since passed away and have no heirs, the art is now locked in a Italian police safe.

    Image via YouTube

  • Restaurant Picasso: Legal Battle Continues in NYC

    A 19-foot-high, painted theater curtain — attributed to Pablo Picasso — is at the center of a legal dispute over whether the piece hanging in New York City’s Four Seasons Restaurant is too fragile to be removed for repairs.

    Experts are concerned the unframed “Le Tricorne” painting, which depicts figures overlooking a bullring, will crumble if taken down to allow repairs.

    The dispute is between the restaurant’s landlord and the actual owner of the painting, and went before a state court judge on Wednesday.

    Real estate developer and owner of the building, Aby Rosen, wants the Picasso taken down from a hallway between two dining rooms. The piece was painted in 1919 and has been in its current location since the restaurant’s opening in 1959.

    Rosen’s lawyer, Andrew Kratenstein, argued the limestone wall on which the painting hangs has been damaged by moisture and steam from the kitchens on the other side.

    Kratenstein told the court an art handler hired by Rosen “was concerned it was more dangerous to leave (the painting) in place.”

    However, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a non-profit preservationist group that was given ownership of the Picasso in 2005, says that the wall is fine and removing the curtain could ruin it and harm the restaurant’s interior.

    Both sides have hired engineers and experts to view the wall, but only those sent by Rosen find the painting may be at risk if removed. However, an another art mover hired by Rosen said the curtain could “crack like a potato chip.”

    Peg Breen, the conservancy’s president, said in an interview that the painting was the “iconic center” of the Four Seasons.

    “It’s considered one of the loveliest interior landmarks in America and it’s all worked together; it’s all of a piece,” she said.

    “Philip Johnson didn’t just say, ‘We’ll slap up a Picasso for a little while and we’ll see what else comes along,’” she said, referring to the building’s architect.

    Judge Carol Edmead said she wants to hear expert testimony on whether it is necessary to move the curtain April 30 before making a ruling.

    “The best part is all of a sudden everyone’s paying attention to it,” said Four Seasons co-owner Julian Niccolini.

    Image via YouTube

  • $140 Picasso? Man Wins Million-Dollar Drawing In Raffle

    A $140 Picasso? That’s right. A man from Wexford, PA. is “still in shock”  after winning an international raffle for a million-dollar Picasso Wednesday, with a $140 ticket.

    Jeffrey Gonano was the lucky one when his ticket, 747815 was randomly picked by a computer system on Wednesday. The ticket was among 50,000 other tickets posted for sale online at 100 euros each to raise funds needed to preserve Tyre – an ancient biblical city found in Lebanon.

    Coincidentally, the 25-year-old who became interested in art only a few years ago had been looking for artwork to hang on his wall. When it turned out that the prize was famous cubist artist Pablo Picasso’s 1914 painting, “L’Homme au Gibus” (Man with Opera Hat), Gonano couldn’t hide his excitement.

    “I’m still in shock. It’s still very odd,” Gonano said. “I never thought I would win. I just saw a news article on Yahoo and bought a ticket. I don’t even know why.”

    His girlfriend, Gloria Spataro said that her fiancée had been looking for pieces of art for his house. Although the new acquisition can easily make Gonano rich, he has vowed not to sell the painting, at least not yet. According to NBC News, the organization had spent a fortune to purchase the drawing from a New York gallery with the help of a bank loan.

    However, the Picasso winner has decided that he will not hang the painting in his home. “It’s too expensive to put on my wall,” said Gonano. One of his plans is to lend it to a museum so that other people can enjoy it as well.

    The event attracted buyers from Germany, France, Kyrgyzstan, America and Iran. The grandson of the artwork’s creator, Oliver Picasso said his grandfather would have been thrilled that his drawing was being used for a good cause had he been alive.

    “My grandfather was a pioneer in everything, in his love life, in his artwork, so tonight I’m sure he would have helped the cause,” he said.

    Image via YouTube

  • Picasso Piece Could Be Yours For $136

    Pablo Picasso’s work has become so iconic that only a rare few can afford to own one of his original pieces, but now, thousands of lucky art lovers have the chance to take home one of his cubist works for just $136, and it’s for a good cause.

    Picasso’s grandson, Olivier, says the piece–a work from 1914 titled “The Man With The Opera Hat”–will be raffled off in a fundraising effort to aid the International Association to Save Tyre, a Lebonese city listed as a World Heritage site. Olivier says his grandfather would have loved being a part of something that would afford him the chance to help so many.

    “He was a helpful person, very generous, giving money around him during many difficult times,” Picasso said. “My grandfather was a pioneer, he was happy to be the first in every kind of situation.”

    The fundraiser is called “1 Picasso For 100 Euros“, and only 50,000 tickets will be available. The winner will be announced in December at Sotheby’s in Paris. French journalist Peri Cochin, who has a long history with the Tyre project, said that the opportunity to involve such an iconic work by a revered artist is incredible.

    “It’s a dream. So many people would love to have a Picasso and will never be able to afford it, so it’s really a dream that could come true,” she said. “If you win it and you don’t want to keep it, of course you can sell it.”

    The work is valued at around $800,000, so it’s hard to say which would be more tempting: the windfall, or owning a rare piece of art by a renowned master.

    Image: Skynews