Since March, an exhibition has been held in Daegu.
The exhibition claims to showcase rare works and personal belongings of Pablo Picasso.
With posters plastered all over the city, the event was heavily promoted. We decided to visit the exhibition ourselves to see what it was really about.
At a gallery in Daegu where the exhibition titled "Picasso in Daegu" is currently underway.
The highlights of the exhibition are rare works, including sketches and oil paintings by the 20th-century Cubist master, Pablo Picasso.
Small notebooks that Picasso allegedly used himself are also on display.
The exhibition organizers insist that all the works are authentic and provide certificates of appraisal.
[Exhibition Official: People talk about certificates of appraisal. We have displayed the certificates right here. They said everything else was fake, so we specifically put out the certificates that match the original works.]
They explain that the Picasso notebook, which they claim is the only one of its kind in the world, was brought directly by David Picasso, the son of one of Picasso's students.
[Exhibition Official: It is a sketchbook that Picasso used, the only one in the world. It is a notebook he used for about 30 years. These are photos of Picasso's family that have never been seen before.]
To verify the authenticity, our reporting team contacted the Picasso Administration in Paris, France.
The Picasso Administration responded, stating, "This exhibition has not received any copyright authorization, and there are concerns that the works on display are forgeries."
The professor mentioned in the certificates also told our reporters, "I have never appraised any of Picasso's works, and the inspection methods and my job title listed are all incorrect."
A gallery that supposedly lent oil paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, which were displayed alongside the Picasso works, also replied, "We have never sent or lent any artwork, nor have we authorized this exhibition."
Once TBC began its investigation, the exhibition organizers admitted, "None of the oil paintings by Picasso, Van Gogh, or Monet are originals; they are all indeed reproductions."
[Exhibition Official: We are currently displaying replicas of the paintings here. They are all replicas.]
In response, the Korea Art Copyright Association stated that it plans to demand corrective measures from the exhibition organizers.
With the Picasso exhibition having charged admission fees of around 20,000 won for over three months, urgent measures are needed to prevent further damages, now that it has been revealed that most of the major works are reproductions.
"Promoted as Featuring Picasso's Personal Belongings"... The Truth Revealed (July 2, 2026, 12 News)
Reported by Nam Hyo-ju (TBC) | Written by Lee Seyoung | Video by Park Jong-young (TBC) | Graphics by Kim Se-yoon (TBC) | Produced by SBS Digital News
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