Claude Picasso, the penultimate living son of the cubist genius Pablo Picasso, He passed away last Thursday at the age of 76. Two months before his death, he handed over the flag to his 74-year-old sister, Paloma Picasso, who ran the administration. Picasso Management (PA). Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Paris, this company was responsible for the management of the great legacy left by the artist, who died in 1974 in Malaga. Claude ran the reins of this foundation for almost three decades and was a key man in transforming artist into art. He turned his father’s legacy artistic work into a crazy ticket printing house.
When is Pablo Picasso Died on April 8, 1973He left a legacy as complex as his family’s situation. The cubist and surrealist artist was not only a flirtatious but also a “cruel, superstitious and selfish” lover, as he put it in his book ‘Vivre avec Picasso’. French painter Françoise Gilotmother of two of his four children: Claude and the Pigeon. When Picasso passed away, he left a riddle of resentment in his family. This was reflected in the judicial series that lasted several years regarding the distribution of inheritance. Paloma inherited her father’s artistic side and one of her best-known aspects is her popular jewelery designs for Tiffany. One of the regulars of Sudio 54 in New York Karl Lagerfeld And yves st laurent Andy Warhol’s muse himself, was a ‘socialite’ in the 70s.
Difficult management of inheritance
Few artists left a legacy as important as Picasso. He was not only a genius, but also one of the most prolific painters and sculptors of his time. He left a legacy when he died. 1,885 canvases, 1,228 sculptures, 7,089 drawings, 30,000 engravings and 3,222 ceramic figuresAs well as several mansions in the Côte d’Azur and other French regions. At that time, the press evaluated this figure as 1.154 million francs (approximately 100 million euros). Thanks to the law passed by the minister and writer in 1968, the main beneficiary was the French State. André Malraux brought the obligation of artists’ families to pay the inheritance tax with their works of art. However, Picasso’s wives and children took a significant part of it.
Claude Picasso participated in the implementation of this practice after struggling with the legislation of the time to be recognized as one of his legitimate descendants as an illegitimate child. inventory monumental work of his father. “We would have had to rent the Empire State Building to keep all of his works”He reassured this photojournalist of that time, who spent most of his youth in New York. A French court recognized him as manager of his father’s business and estate in 1989. Since 1995, it has been carrying out this task through PA, the only institution that can give it. certificates of authenticity The copyright of the works of the surrealist painter belongs to him until 2043.
Inexhaustible sources of income
Without his sister Paloma’s talent or presence in the art world, Claude played an important role both in managing his father’s estate and in the emergence of the Picasso brand as a money making machine. In the early 2000s, this legacy was valued “approximately”. 10,000 million euros”, assured Olivier Widmaier Picasso, the son of Maya (who died at the end of 2022) and grandson of the painter. latest paintings by the artist The jewels from Malaga, which were auctioned at Christie’s, were valued at more than $100 million.
PA is dedicated not only to the commercialization and distribution of his works, but also to issuing certificates of authenticity and defending the rights of the author. Each time a Picasso painting is included in a book or the artist’s name is used for commercial purposes, the artist receives a fee.
Picasso’s brand
It also fights against thousands of companies that use its works against their will. Also, take Part of the revenue of the Picasso Museum in ParisAlthough it is a public centre. Your sources of income are inexhaustible. Although the dizzying figures with which this foundation moved, fueled criticism in the art world, many collectors highlighted Claude Picasso’s good works in affirming the originality of the works.
One of the PA’s most controversial decisions was this: Cooperation agreement with Citroën Over 20 years he will christen a number of cars with the name of the artist. This collaboration only helped establish the family foundation in 2007. about 3 million euros. When the work was announced, Jean Clair, then director of the Picasso Museum in Paris, criticized the “transformation of a unique work into commercial value”. And he predicted: “In the third millennium we will call cars Picasso in the same way. poubelle (garbage) named after Governor Poubelle”. Didn’t have to wait this long to see this Picasso is no longer just an artist, he is also a brand.