Although Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is now recognized as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, his rise to fame was not immediate. In order to heat his Paris apartment, he was forced, by poverty, to burn many of his paintings.

In 2015 his painting Women of Algiers sold for $179.3 million. One can only speculate on the value of his works that went up in flame because he was too poor to afford coal.