Disney's Picasso Gift to Robin Williams: A Fake?

In 1992, Disney offered Robin Williams $75,000 to voice the Genie in Aladdin, far below his usual $8 million fee. Williams accepted on condition his character appear in no more than 25% of promotional material and his voice not be used for commercials. Disney violated the agreement, using the Genie on about a third of the poster and in ads. Williams complained to Disney president Jeffrey Katzenberg, who updated posters only in some locations. To appease him, Disney sent a Picasso painting reportedly worth $1 million. Williams disliked the work and never hung it, eventually giving it away, which explains its absence from his 2018 estate auction. The dispute ended when Katzenberg left and successor Joe Rohde apologized, leading Williams to appear in the third Aladdin film. The Picasso's authenticity is debated: journalist Jesse Kornbluth described it as a late work from a series of self-portraits imagining himself as other artists, specifically as van Gogh with one ear. A 2020 YouTube video suggested it was 'Pittore con cappello' (1965), but no confirmation exists.