Hidden details in artist Nicolas de Staël’s paintings discovered, amateur cryptographer claims

The life of 20th century artist Nicolas de Staël has been mythologized ever since he ended it by jumping from his studio age 41, at the height of his career, in 1955.

At times, experts say the myth has overshadowed more than 1,000 paintings he created in a span of just 15 years.

De Staël’s work has been a multi-year obsession of Patrick Quéré, an eccentric American, who claims that he holds a key to seeing the tragic artist’s output in a new light.

Quéré’s preoccupation began with a small painting he attributes to de Staël. Titled “La Clé” (“The Key”), and slightly smaller than an iPad, it was a gift from the artist to Quéré’s grandfather Jean. The two men were friends in postwar Paris, according to the Quéré family lore.