US: A cache of 32 previously unknown works attributed to the late American painter Jackson Pollock has been discovered in the storage space of a New York building.
Pollock, who died in 1956, was the commanding figure of the abstract expressionist movement and the paintings, if authenticated, would be worth millions of dollars.
The discovery was made by Alex Matter, son of Herbert Matter, a close friend of Pollock's who died in 1984. In a statement, Mr Matter said he found a package of 22 of the artist's drip paintings on drawing-board paper and 10 other works consisting of enamel drawings and unfinished paintings.
The discovery was made in 2003 but Mr Matter said he did not come forward earlier as he wanted to clean and stabilise the works, and because he underwent heart surgery.
He said that, in a note attached to the package, his father wrote that Pollock painted the works between 1946 and 1949 in Mr Matter's private studio in Manhattan.
"He considered them, or Jackson more precisely, considered them, experimental works," Mr Matter told CNN.
Dr Ellen Landau, a member of the Pollock authentication board, said: "I am absolutely convinced that these are works done by Pollock, and I am absolutely convinced of their importance."
Instead of using an easel, Pollock fixed his canvas to the floor or wall and poured and dripped paint onto it, then manipulated the colours with sticks, trowels or knives. Last year one of his largest paintings was sold at a Christie's auction for $11.65 million to an anonymous buyer.
Mr Matter said he would lend the works to "Pollock Matters," an international museum tour scheduled for next year to mark the 50th anniversary of the artist's death.
A film, Pollock, starring Ed Harris, was released in 2000. Marcia Gay Harden got a best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Lee Krasner, the woman who devoted herself to Pollock as he struggled with alcoholism.