When art historian Dr. Marilyn Hendrickson stumbles upon a long-lost Picasso collection in 2050, she believes she has made one of the greatest discoveries in art history. But these paintings hold more than just artistic value—they are the key to a mystery that spans across time.
As she investigates their origins, Marilyn crosses paths with Boris Latsky, a brilliant scientist whose research on time anomalies suggests that history might not be as fixed as we believe. Soon, Marilyn finds herself in the bohemian world of 1920s Paris, where she meets Picasso and his revolutionary circle of artists.
Torn between two timelines, Marilyn must unravel the truth behind Picasso’s hidden masterpieces while facing an impossible choice: preserve history or change it forever?
A gripping blend of historical fiction, art mystery, and time-slip intrigue, Picasso’s Hidden Legacy takes readers on a thrilling journey through lost masterpieces, forgotten secrets, and the enduring power of art.
When art historian Dr. Marilyn Hendrickson stumbles upon a long-lost Picasso collection in 2050, she believes she has made one of the greatest discoveries in art history. But these paintings hold more than just artistic value—they are the key to a mystery that spans across time.
As she investigates their origins, Marilyn crosses paths with Boris Latsky, a brilliant scientist whose research on time anomalies suggests that history might not be as fixed as we believe. Soon, Marilyn finds herself in the bohemian world of 1920s Paris, where she meets Picasso and his revolutionary circle of artists.
Torn between two timelines, Marilyn must unravel the truth behind Picasso’s hidden masterpieces while facing an impossible choice: preserve history or change it forever?
A gripping blend of historical fiction, art mystery, and time-slip intrigue, Picasso’s Hidden Legacy takes readers on a thrilling journey through lost masterpieces, forgotten secrets, and the enduring power of art.
The beauty of legends is that they are easy to believe in but just as easy to forget. But not the Picasso legend! The story began in the 1930s when people started talking about Picasso hiding paintings on the French Riviera. Friends, admirers, and rivals all wanted to know where the paintings were hidden and why he wouldn’t show them to the public.
Over the years, the story became more mysterious, with everyone guessing how long Picasso would keep them hidden. Letters, diary entries, and mysterious messages kept the hope alive that the paintings were safely hidden somewhere. Interestingly, the leaked news never came directly from Picasso; if asked, he would only laugh with his knowing smile, as if he enjoyed the scandal and the attention. He never gave any clues to help solve the mystery, but it seemed like the news always came at just the right time, as if someone was guiding it.
When Picasso died, the messages stopped. No one expected anything essential to come up after his death—until something he wrote in his sketchbook the year before he died was found: "I have a surprise, a series of a hundred pictures that I painted over fifty years ago and were hidden away." When this sketchbook became part of the Picasso Heritage, each page was archived, but the twenty-sixth page“of the book was classified for one hundred and fifty years. However, a copy still leaked to the press, and that’s when the legend's journey truly began.
A hundred hidden Picasso works were sure to excite the world, especially those in the art trade. After Picasso’s death, thousands of theories emerged about where the paintings might be. Searches were launched, huge rewards were offered, and old houses were turned upside down in search of the paintings. But the Picassos didn’t appear, and it seemed they never would.
In the middle of the 21st century, just when no one expected to find them, the legend suddenly revealed its secret: In 2048, at a Paris auction, Paul Éluard’s
letters from the 1930s were put up for sale. One leather-bound folder caught the attention of Picasso fans because it contained letters between Picasso and Éluard starting from 1936. Of the nineteen letters, Picasso wrote six, and the rest were unfinished letters from Éluard to Picasso, never sent.
One of Picasso’s letters, written from the French seaside, was particularly interesting because it recalled a short but exciting time. The Éluard letters were eventually bought by a private collector who bid remotely. In the final moments of the auction, only the Paris Paul Éluard Museum and this mysterious bidder were left bidding. After the bid reached two million, the museum dropped out, and all nineteen letters went to the anonymous collector.
The mysterious collector was Boris Maxim Latsky, a scientist and inventor who had first heard about the legend from his father as a child. Perhaps no one wanted to find the hidden legacy more than him, and now he held the key in that Picasso letter addressed to Éluard from the French seaside town.
I’ll be completely honest. I saw Picasso in the title and was sold. I didn’t need any more information. All of that is to say that I went into this book blindly. This decision ended up enhancing my reading experience.
The timeline goes back and forth from the past (1920s) and the future (2050s). In the future/present timeline, an announcement is made that lost works from Picasso have been found. The discovery promises (or threatens) changes to what was previously known about 20th Century art history, but also the current art climate.
About a year later, Marilyn, one of the curators involved in the discovery of the paintings, wakes from a month-long coma. The doctors say this was due to a virus. Between the illness, coma, and other factors, Marilyn is experiencing memory loss. She doesn’t even remember the birth of her own son, who is now a month old. The doctors, Marilyn’s fiancé, Boris, and her assistant, Joanna, feel it’s time to explain to Joanna what happened in hopes of jarring her memory. Their motives, however, are different, and reluctance persists.
This then begins a series of flashbacks and time travel. There’s a bit of everything: time portals, space travel, love triangles, history, future… the list goes on. It all blends and flows together wonderfully. I liked the complicated relationship between Boris and Marilyn. I’d say they are the biggest focus of the book outside of Picasso. There is also decent world-building, describing a time in the future where you can find your partner via DNA match and presidents take trips to Mars, among other things.
I had a lot of fun reading this book! Admittedly, I struggled a bit to keep all of the facts straight as there is an element of mystery to the plot. Thankfully, I recognized the pattern early on and was able to help myself keep track with annotations. This ended up adding to my overall reading experience, so I can't complain too much.
I recommend this book to readers looking for softer science fiction with a mix of art and history. I've come across a lot of time travel books lately, and this one felt truly unique.