Picasso’s daughter donates nine artworks to settle tax bill with France

Pablo Picasso, the Spanish-born artist, was one of the most important art figures of the 20th century known for his distinct style and eye for artistic creation. Throughout his career, he created more than 20,000 paintings, sculptures, ceramics, theater sets, drawings, and other items. Before Picasso, there has been no artist with such impact on the art world as he did.

Now, nine of his artwork are in the hands of the French government due to a tax settlement by one of his daughters, Maya Ruiz-Picasso. As part of an arrangement to pay an inheritance tax bill six paintings, two sculptures and a sketchbook have been donated by Ruiz-Picasso to pay off the bill.

A press conference took place at the Picasso Museum in Paris, to present one of the artworks called Child with a Lollipop Sitting Under a Chair (1938). According to trusted sources, the painting depicts Maya. Ruiz-Picasso herself alongside her son Olivier Widmaier-Picasso and her daughter Diana attended the ceremony. Of the collection, the oldest work is  Don Jose Ruiz, a portrait from 1895 of Picasso’s father.

France’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, wrote on Twitter that, “It is an honor for our country to welcome these new artworks by Picasso. They will enrich and deepen our cultural heritage.” According to Roselyne Bachelot, France’s culture minister, the high-profile gifts will enter the national collections at Paris’s Musée Picasso and will be exhibited as a whole to the public in 2022.