A story that has been waiting to be told, Author Stuart Rosson unpacks the greatest art heist in Australian history in Framed – The ‘True’ Story of the Theft of Picasso’s Weeping Woman.
Framed blows the lid off one of Melbourne’s most puzzling secrets: Who stole Picasso’s Weeping Woman from the NGV in 1986. Written by the brother of the brilliant artist Peter Rosson (1954-2002) – who was framed for the crime, Framed draws on never-before-revealed information told to the author before his brother died.
Framed is totally engrossing and highly controversial. It is at once a rollicking crime thriller, a vividly drawn period piece of mid-eighties Melbourne, and an exposé of the murky underbelly of the city’s art scene. This is Rosson’s third book and is a gripping speculative account of Melbourne’s greatest unsolved crime.
“Framed is a fictionalised version of the truth,” says Rosson. “The idea to write it came after the SBS Documentary of the same name, with Marc Fennell, which canvassed the lesser-known part of the story, in which my brother was framed for the crime … A crime that was never solved.”
“The Weeping Woman story is so firmly lodged in Melbourne’s collective consciousness, that it is now part of the city’s historical fabric. The story focuses on the weeks and months around the Picasso theft in 1986, which at the time, became a national and worldwide story.”
It’s a colourful ‘period piece’ depicting 1980s Melbourne, it draws on the own facts of the Picasso saga, combined with elements of my brother’s quite colourful theories about what he thought may have transpired.”
“In the book, I have attempted to seamlessly weave all that together with fictional elements and characters. The net result is a kind of ‘true crime’ expose, which will read – for those who remember the events – like … OMG, this must be what happened.!!!”
An ex-science journalist and naturopath, Stuart Rosson lives in Torquay, where he runs a guesthouse, writes fiction, and surfs. His previous books form two parts of a post-apocalyptic action trilogy. His third book, Framed, is a fictionalized exposé of the theft of Picasso’s Weeping Woman in 1986 – a crime for which his brother was framed.
Throughout the mid to late 80’s he was the science writer for the Sun News-Pictorial, covering news and features on science, health, and medicine. Moving to the Surf Coast, in the early 90’s he worked as an operations manager, for a global surf company until 2001. After leaving the surf industry he studied natural medicine and went on to practice as a naturopath until 2009.
His first book, East – a post-apocalyptic action adventure – was published in 2018. His second book, a prequel to East, set in mid-21st century Melbourne, was all but completed when he switched track to write Framed.
Framed – The ‘True’ Story of the Theft of Picasso’s Weeping Woman is published by Brolga Publishing and available from all leading book retailers including Booktopia.
Image: Framed – The ‘True’ Story of the Theft of Picasso’s Weeping Woman – courtesy of Brolga Publishing