Italy: A likely unpublished Pablo Picasso portraying Hitler is discovered

Italian experts have identified what they believe to be a likely work by Pablo Picasso, which the Spanish artist wanted to pay homage to to his friend, also a German artist. Paul Kleeand in which the dictator is caricatured Adolf Gitler and now they hope that further research can prove its authenticity.

Annalise Di Maria, an art critic and member of the Committee of Experts on Literature of the UNESCO Center in Florence, who recently presented the work, assured EFE what really work cannot be attributed with certainty Picasso and that, of course, the picture should be explored further, “but this, in his opinion, Without a doubt that this is the work of an artist from Malaga.

A gift to the persecuted by the Nazis

For Di Maria, this is a painting that Picasso gave to Clea, one of the artists most persecuted by the German regimealthough it is not in any of the catalogs of stolen or seized works in what they called “degenerate art”, especially since it is a “very uncomfortable” picture, because it was about mockery the figure of the “Fuhrer” and it was better to hide.

Klee and Picasso were friends, mutually admired each other and met at least twice, so much so that in 1914 Klee painted a work to pay tribute to Picasso and it is believed that the Spanish artist wanted to replace it with this painting, now owned by private collection of an italian family whose ancestor worked at the train station where he is thought to be found.

According to the first studies of pigments carried out at the University of Ascoli Piceno (central Italy), the work called “Eye of the Snake” – because of the rattlesnake marking the outline of the dictator’s face – can be located between 1935 and 1937.

Di Maria explains that if the authorship of the artist is confirmed, it will be exceptional discovery because that would also be a great example of a great confrontation and struggle Picasso vs Hitler.

In the footsteps of Picasso

In this work, Hitler is “caricatured” by the inclusion of certain elements not tolerated by the Führer and the Nazi regime. like face makeup, lipstick and a pipebecause Hitler hated tobacco. While the written word is observed on the lips “Schweigen” (“Shut up” in German)which could have various interpretations, such as a desire to keep the work secret, to prevent Nazi persecution of the author, or harassment and censorship who followed the rules.

Although the work is unsigned, the skilled calligrapher Stefano Fortunati, after analyzing this written word, emphasized that the initial “S” matches Picasso’s writing style.

For the Italian expert, there are many elements that point to the hand of Pablo Picasso, such as the shape of the eyes or lips, which are “the same” as those also found in the sketch he made for Joseph Stalin. although the box is “hybrid” between the pictorial characteristics of the artist from Malaga and Klee, since it was intended as a gift to the German artist.

In addition, notes Di Maria, analysis of the painting showed that there are chemicals were used by Picasso at the time, and over time they became somewhat discolored and had to be retouched.

“Work deserves to be famous studied again and reviewed by other experts to assess its importance. certainly represents one of the most significant works of the 20th century as a critique of Nazism. A testament to dissent, a bearer of the truth about the horrors perpetrated by one of the bloodiest dictators in history. Such a picture could only be created by a genius and master of expressionism with a deep sense of sharp irony,” he added. (EFE)