Speaking of Picasso...

Tatiana Khan, a Los Angeles art dealer, has plead guilty to federal charges alleging that she commissioned a fake Picasso and then sold it as an original.

Khan apparently paid an art restorer $1,000 to copy Picasso's 1902 pastel, Woman in the Blue Hat, then sold the piece for nearly 2 million dollars, claiming that it was an original. She will appear in federal court on felony charges of lying to the FBI and witness tampering. The maximum sentence for her crimes is 25 years in prison, though her plea agreement recommends only 21 months.

I wonder if the art restorer knew that she planned to sell the copy? What reputable art restorers take on copy work for their clients? Definitely an interesting case of art crime and intrigue.

A Profusion of Picasso

If you like Picasso and live in New York, you are very lucky. Everyone seems to be putting on a Picasso show lately, the Met and MoMA dipping into their permanent collections to do so.

Currently on are two shows devoted exclusively to Picasso's prints. The Marlborough Gallery is showing Celebrating the Muse: Women in Picasso’s Prints From 1905-1968, featuring a parade of Picasso's wives and mistresses. The exhibition runs until May 1st at the gallery's location on 57th St. here in New York.

The Museum of Modern Art presents Picasso: Themes and Variations, an exhibit featuring works from the museum's permanent prints collection. The MoMA show has a wider scope, and presents prints dealing with many of Picasso's most famous themes. Check out the New York Times review of these shows here.

Later this month, the Met gets in on the Picasso action when it opens Picasso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which presents everything by Picasso in the museums permanent collection, including everything from paintings to ceramics. This exhibition marks the first time all of these objects have been seen together; the Met's large number of Picasso holdings helps to illustrate his prolific artistic career while also providing an expansive look at his thematic interests, evolving techniques, and what the Met calls his "multi-sided genius."

Putting up Picasso shows seems like a no-brainer, especially for these museums that have access to huge numbers of Picasso works in their permanent collection. A marquee name and relatively straightforward content now at the beginning of summer (and the tourist season in New York) should make for extremely well-attended shows. Get your Picasso fix while you can!

Update: Holland Cotter of the New York Times calls the Met's Picasso collection "stodgy and almost bizarrely lopsided," mostly due to the Met's reluctance to acquire new art. Check out his review here.