Brian Blessed: 'I threw away Picasso drawing worth £50million'
Oh dear
The man with the loudest voice in showbiz, Brian Blessed, has revealed he once threw away a Picasso sketch worth £50million.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the legendary thespian said he approached the painter at a gallery in Sheffield when he was a child.
When Picasso (pictured below on the Sheffield World Peace trip) quickly drew him a picture of a dove, Brian says he tossed it aside believing it to be rubbish. The famous sketch now hangs in Sheffield Gallery is worth a fair amount of money.
Telling the unfortunate tale in his trademark booming voice, Brian shouted: “When I was 12, there was a World Peace Congress outside Sheffield (in 1950) that attracted 360,000 people including singer Paul Robeson and American and British generals.
“Picasso was there, painting, and I raced ahead of everybody and stood before him.
“I asked, ‘Are you Picasso?’ and he replied, ‘Yes, I am’. I told him, 'You sound more like Carmen Miranda, so if you’re really Picasso, draw me something’.
“He said, 'I will draw you a dove of peace’, which he did and handed it to me. I said, 'That shows you’re not Picasso, that’s not a dove!’
“Picasso replied: 'For the first time I have a critic, the child does not believe this is a dove’.
“I threw his drawing on the floor and in doing so, threw away about £50m. It was picked up, presented to the assembly as a symbol of the peace congress of 1948 and now hangs in Sheffield Gallery.”
Fortunately with dozens of movies (Star Wars, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Flash Gordon) and countless TV credits to his name, Brian didn’t fare too badly in subsequent years.
The Picasso clanger has still got to hurt though! Ouch.