271 new Picassos: By the numbers

This retired French electrician says he received 271 Picasso works as gifts for installing alarm systems in the late artist&#039;s homes.

(Image credit: Corbis)

last updated 8 January 2015

A retired French electrician named Pierre Le Guennec and his wife have shocked the art world, and Picasso's heirs, by coming forward with 271 "never-before-seen works" by the Spanish artist. Le Guennec says Picasso's late second wife, Jaqueline Roque, gave him the artworks as "gifts" after he installed alarm systems in three of the Picassos' French Riviera homes. The artist's heirs, however, dispute that story and have filed charges against Le Guennec, while authorities have confiscated all the artwork. "To give away such a large quantity, that's unheard of," Picasso's son Claude says, noting that many of the pieces aren't dated: "He always dated, signed and wrote dedications in his gifts, knowing that some people would go on to sell them to meet their needs." (Watch an al Jazeera report about the Picassos.) Here, a by-the-numbers guide to the controversial discovery:

271