Artfest International, Inc (fka ARTS)

[Kool Aid Man]

Eddie's "Pee-casso" is an outright fraud

A forgery by an anonymous carver (probably from some village in Africa) intended first to scam tourists and subsequently used by Barry Wicker and Eddie Vakser to dupe and deceive investors.

I hereby and henceforth challenge anyone to produce a similar, legitimate wooden carving by Pablo Picasso.

With very few exceptions, Picasso was >not< a wood carver. Wood carving is an exceptionally tedious, time consuming process and Picasso was far too ADHD for that. Virtually all of his sculptural works were either "assemblages" (junk and stuff he somehow stuck together), clay (which was usually kiln fired) or bronze.

By the time Eddie & Barry claim he carved this stump of theirs, Picasso had been a worldwide celebrity for decades. Consequently virtually everything he did was photographed and cataloged because of it's perceived value and importance. However, NOTHING he ever did during the decades before, during and after even remotely resemble this monstrosity! Plus, by 1949, Picasso was long past his African-influenced "cubism" period.

Most damning of all is Eddies refusal to have this piece "authenticated" by a reputable source such as Sotheby's or Christies --which they will gladly do for free. Eddie knows it's a fake and his self-proclaimed reputation as an art expert will be forever blown.