A retired French electrician has been questioned by police after coming foward with an undocumented cache of 271 works by Pablo Picasso. The find is valued at $80 million.

Pierre Le Guennec, 71, and his wife, approached the estate of Picasso with a request to authenticate the works.

The artist's son, Claude Picasso, has determined that the portraits, drawings, sketches, collages, and lithographs are in fact by his famous father, but he questions how they came into the possession of Le Guennec.

The Riviera-based retiree, who lives outside Nice, once worked for Picasso, who died in 1973. He says the painter was a friend and gifted the art to him.

France's Central Office for the Fight Against Traffic in Cultural Goods confiscated the works, which date from 1900 to 1932, while an investigation ensues.

Claude Picasso says such a large gift of art from his father is unlikely and that he always signed, dated, and dedicated gifts. The estate has filed a legal complaint against Le Guennec.