Retired Electrician at Center of Picasso Controversy

Retired electrician Pierre Le Guennec, who installed alarm systems at Pablo Picasso’s villas in the Southern France in the early 1970s, has come forward to reveal 271 previously unknown works by the artist, according to a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor. Le Guennec, who claims Picasso bestowed the works on him as a gift, has stored them in his garage for 40 years. The Picassos, valued at upward of $100 million, remain in custody at the Central Office for the Fight Against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC) on the outskirts of Paris. The Picasso family is disputing the status of the works as a gift.