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‘They have stolen over 400 of my Picasso works’

Pablo Picasso's stepdaughter has seen over 400 artworks by the Spanish artist stolen from her in recent years, a French newspaper reported on Friday.

Published: 12 July 2013 16:03 CEST
'They have stolen over 400 of my Picasso works'
A woman studies a lithograph of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso made by Marcel Salinas under the supervision of the artist. File photo: Mayela Lopez/AFP

Catherine Hutin-Blay, daughter of Picasso's second wife Jacqueline Picasso, says as many as 407 works by the artist have been taken.

Among the works are drawings, lithographs and catalogues created by the artist originally from Malaga in southern Spain.

In an article published in French newspaper Le Parisien, Hutin-Blay said the thefts first came to light in 2011.

The discovery came when the Paris-basis Picasso Administration — the body which adminsters the artist's rights — informed Hutin-Blay it had discovered some of Picasso's works on sale in a private gallery in the French capital.

These turned out to be pieces Picasso's stepdaughter had inherited from her own mother.

Hutin-Blay said she "wanted to find out if the works" were there in their "filing cabinets. And they weren't!

"That triggered everything off."

The investigation that followed revealed a "well organized plot" to make off with hundreds of works created by the multifaceted artist who spent most of adult life in France.

The thefts were probably carried out between 2005 and 2007, says Picasso's stepdaughter who lives in the castle bought by the artist in the town of Vauvenargues in the southern French region of Provence.

But the story doens't end there.

Le Parisien also reported that works by Picasso were taken from Hutin-Blay's next door neighbour in Vauvenargues: Sylvie Baltazart-Eon, the 58-year-old daughter of Picasso's art dealer Aimé Maeght.

According to the French paper, a conman named Freddy Munchenbach carried out "unspecified work" at Baltazart-Eon's home before doing the same for Picasso's stepdaughter.

He is now suspected of lifting over 600 works from the homes of both women.

This include works not just by Picasso, but also by fellow Spaniard Joan Miró, the Russian Kandinksy and the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti.

Munchenbach allegedly passed the artwork on to Toni Celano, a lithographer arrested in Italy in January, according to the French newspaper.

He may have then resold that art to the Parisian gallery Belle et Belle.

One of Munchenbac'hs friends has also been implicated in the thefts. That man framed and exhibited original workds by artiets including Miró in his home.

In total the value of all the works stolen from the two women could be as high as €2 million ($2.6 million).

"I'm still not on top of everything," Hutin-Blay told Le Parisien.

"The art theft squad are charming. They know a lot about art.

"I'm lucky that I photographed everything beforehand."

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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