Legal Dispute over Picasso Sculpture Settled, with Leon Black Named as the Work’s Owner

The New York Times reported today that Leon Black, the billionaire art collector, will now own the Pablo Picasso sculpture Bust of a Woman (1931) that has been at the center of a months-long legal battle. The Qatari royal family, which had also claimed ownership, will receive financial compensation as a result of a settlement among all the involved parties. The amount of that compensation was not disclosed.

The dispute began in 2015, when dealer Larry Gagosian bought the work from Picasso’s 80-year-old daughter, Maya Widmaier-Picasso, for $106 million, and subsequently sold it to Black. The problem: Widmaier-Picasso had also sold the sculpture to an agent of the Qatari royal family a year before, for the equivalent of $42 million. A legal tussle ensued, with both parties claiming ownership over the work. That battle is now over.