Hidden Man Found in Picasso Painting

Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous and well-studied artists in history, but it turns out the Spaniard managed to keep some visual secrets hidden. At least for a century or so. Scientists and art experts have discovered that his 1901 The Blue Room actually features a hidden man sporting a beard, three rings, a jacket, and a bowtie. The Associated Press learned of the new artistic discovery, which was unearthed using infrared imagery and other technology, such as X-ray fluorescence intensity mapping. It’s unclear who the man is. Experts have already ruled out Picasso himself and some have suggested Ambrose Villard, the Paris art dealer who hosted Picasso’s first show. Dorothy Kosinski, the director of The Phillips Collection, said: “It’s kind of detective work. It’s giving them [our audiences] a doorway of access that I think enriches, maybe adds mystery, while allowing them to be part of a piecing together of a puzzle.”