Art historian unveiling a hidden strand in Picasso’s circle
Art historian Albert Velasco has highlighted five drawings attributed to Pablo Picasso that once belonged to Josep Costa Ferrer, known as Picarol. Ferrer, Ibiza born in 1876 and later a Palma figure, was a caricaturist, gallery owner, and a close friend of Picasso. Velasco also gained access to an extraordinary trove: 160 boxes of documents and photographs from the Costa Galleries owner who helped shape Cala d’Or. He calls this collection the most significant private archive for researchers in their line of work. Velasco notes his long experience in the 20th century art market when discussing the find.
During the recent Mercat de lArt, a conference on art, collections, and museums held in Sitges, Velasco presented a selection of works. The batch includes portraits on paper dated 1898 from Picasso’s Catalan period. The subjects include members of the Cova Artística association and regulars of Els Quatre Gats, such as Picarol, Lluís Bagaria, and Joan Vidal Ventosa. The set also contains an oil painting that depicts a bullfight, offering a broader view of Picasso’s stylistic range during that era.
Velasco suggests that the drawings were created on the same type of lined paper and show holes from thumbtacks that once held them in place at the Cova dels Artistes. To verify the authorship and contextual unity of these portraits, he presents a photograph showing Picarol with Bagaria, Martínez Padilla, and Ventosa inside the Cova workshop, where drawings hung on the walls in a pattern secured by thumbtacks.
Josep Costa Ferrer, seen through Velasco’s lens, is described as someone who preserved these drawings after the Cova Artística was dismantled due to financial difficulties. Velasco explains that the artists were young, struggling, and not earning a stable living, and suggests Ferrer kept these works as personal belongings for life. The grandchildren of the cartoonist have evidence confirming the authenticity of these works and that they were not lost among other documents.
According to Velasco, neither the Ferrer archive nor the Picasso works are currently in Mallorca, but the provenance remains clear. He notes that the papers are valuable for proving origin and ownership, though he cannot disclose who currently owns the works or where the archive resides. He confirms that the Picasso pieces remain in the Costa family’s possession. The access Velasco gained to this material came through one of his students at the University of Lleida, Adrià Codina.
Velasco also recalls that Costa Ferrer had a direct connection to Picasso, and that Picasso himself was the first artist to exhibit at the Costa Galleries in Mallorca. In 1929, two paintings were shown, and in 1948 a solo exhibition of 20 etchings and three original Picasso works was organized. Velasco himself harbors a hunch that one of these original Picassos might exist within the current holdings, though he lacks confirmation. The pieces that are presently on display at the Costa Galleries are those Velasco has identified as having originated in that period.
Beyond the individual works, Velasco emphasizes the significance of making Costa Ferrer’s archive accessible to researchers. He describes the collection as an extraordinary set of documents and argues that opening it to the academic community would greatly advance the study of Palma’s art history, Catalan art networks, and the broader art trade within the Spanish state. Velasco emphasizes that the archive’s availability would contribute a lasting, tangible record of cultural exchange and gallery operations in the early modern period, offering fresh perspectives for scholars everywhere.
— The themes Velasco explores extend beyond attribution. They touch on the interactions between artists, dealers, and exhibition spaces in Mallorca and Catalonia. The emerging narrative highlights how Ferrer’s personal archive connects Picasso’s public projects with the commercial and social networks that supported them. The ongoing question remains about the full scope of the collection and its place within the larger story of 20th-century European art, and Velasco’s work continues to illuminate these links for researchers and enthusiasts alike. [Citation: Velasco, 2024]