Is one of the most unusual that shook the art world in recent years. Pierre Le Guennec, an electrician, a French retiree who had worked for Pablo Picasso, and his wife, Danielle, were convicted by the French Justice to two years of prison in suspense by store in your garage 271 works of the painter from malaga.
The court of appeal of Aix-en-Provence has confirmed a sentence of 2015 by which, in addition, Pierre Le Guennec and his wife will return the works to the heir to the Spanish painter, Claude Ruiz-Picasso. The couple who is over 70 years, failed to convince the justice that the widow of Picasso, Jacqueline, had donated the works.
The artistic treasure was discovered when Le Guennec contact Claude in 2010 to authenticate a box full of works, which took around four decades hidden in your home. It is small oil paintings, drawings and lithographs created by Picasso between 1900 and 1932, and with a value that, according to French media amounts to between 63 and us $ 105 million.
This batch includes some small exceptional works: drawings stylized of women and horses, nine ‘collages’ cubist very rare for the time of his collaboration with Georges Braque, a study of the “blue period” or more intimate issues such as studies of his lover Fernande, drawings of his first wife Olga and a small horse cut made by their children.
The heirs had filed immediately a criminal complaint for theft.
In the appeal trial, Le Guennec has changed his version of events, claiming that a few months after Picasso’s death, his widow, asked that would contain between 15 to 17 bags of trash which contained works by the artist. A while after, he added the defendant, the last wife of the painter asked that would give him back the bags, except one, who gave her in gratitude.
To Le Guennec, the widow of Picasso wanted to “perhaps” that these works are not featured in the inventory of the succession.
“The lady Jacqueline Picasso had problems with Claude Picasso, son of the painter, said Le Guennec, 77 years, with the trembling voice before the court of Aix-en-Provence.
In the first instance, the electrician had told him the works were a gift made by Picasso before the artist’s death, in 1971 or 1972, in recognition for the work they had done for him.
The prosecutor did not take into account the new version of the couple, and it required the confirmation of the sentence of first instance.
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