Spain -- Feb 13
Pablo Picasso’s former electrician, Pierre Le Guennec, contacted the Picasso Administration to certify the authenticity of 180 works of art he claims to have received from the artist’s last wife – Jacqueline Roque – in 1971. Guennec paid little attention to the gift until 2009, but this is the largest Picasso discovery since his death in 1973 and is valued at over $68 million. Authorities accuse Guennec of stealing the paintings; others believe the retired electrician is part of an international art-laundering operation. Guennec goes on trial this week in Grasse, Southeastern France. Source: El Pais