Pablo Picasso's masterpiece disappeared while being transferred to a museum in Spain. The Guardian reports this.
A small painting titled “Still Life with Guitar” created by Picasso in 1919 disappeared without a trace while being transported from Madrid. The work, worth 600 thousand euros (about 58 million rubles), never reached the CajaGranada Foundation, where it was supposed to be part of a temporary exhibition.
According to the foundation representative, the incident occurred on October 3 on the way to the museum, where the painting was transported by specialized vehicle to Granada. “After being removed by CajaGranada Foundation staff, the works were moved to different areas of the exhibition hall,” the foundation said in a statement. “At mid-morning that day, the exhibition curator and the foundation's exhibition director noticed a work was missing.”
Spanish police have opened an investigation. According to local media, the truck may have stopped overnight near Granada and the two people inside may have taken turns guarding the valuable cargo.
The painting measures only 12.7 x 9.8 cm and belongs to a private collector in Madrid. Interestingly, when unloading, some of the packaged works did not have the correct numbering, so they could not be quickly checked upon receipt.
Picasso's work has long been a target for criminals around the world. Over the decades, dozens of his works have been stolen, including two paintings worth a total of 50 million euros from the Paris home of the artist's niece in 2007 and 12 works of art from the villa of his other niece, Marina Picasso, in 1989.
Previously in Australia, a museum was also caught up in a scandal when it was discovered that Pablo Picasso's paintings on display were fake. “Picasso's Paintings” has been on display in one of Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art's long-term exhibitions.
