Picasso's "Still Life with Guitar" Disappears During Exhibition Transport

Spanish Police Launch Investigation

In Spain, Pablo Picasso's 1919 work "Still Life with Guitar" disappeared during transport, prompting the police to launch an investigation.

According to CNN in the United States on the 17th (local time), the piece was originally scheduled to be displayed at a non-permanent exhibition at the Kahagranada Cultural Center in Granada, southern Spain, starting from October 9.

Still Life with Guitar, Picasso's 1919 Work, Disappeared During Transport. Kahagranada Foundation, Yonhap News Agency

There are several works by Picasso titled "Still Life with Guitar." The missing 1919 painting was created using gouache (a type of opaque watercolor paint) and measures 9.8 cm by 12.7 cm. The artwork is reportedly valued at approximately 600,000 euros (1 billion won).

"No Irregularities Found in Surveillance Footage"

According to a press release from the Kahagranada Foundation, which operates the center, a van belonging to the transport company arrived at the center on October 3, six days before the exhibition's opening. The van had transported the artworks from Madrid. All the pieces were moved in a single, continuous operation from the van to the freight elevator, with all transport company staff present. The items were then transferred from the elevator to the exhibition hall under surveillance camera recording. The exhibition manager checked the origin of each packaged item and, after reaching an agreement with the transport company, signed for the receipt of the items.

The unpacking of the items began three days later, at 8:30 a.m. on October 6. After all the packages were opened and the exhibits were arranged, the curator in charge of the exhibition and the exhibition manager noticed that "Still Life with Guitar" was missing. The foundation stated that after the delivery on October 3, they reviewed the continuous surveillance footage but found no irregularities.

The owner of the painting is a private collector, and it is reported that the work was insured for approximately 600,000 euros (1 billion won). The Granada police stated that the investigation is ongoing and that the missing painting has been registered in the international database of stolen artworks, but did not disclose further details about the investigation.

There have been several previous incidents in which thieves targeted Picasso's works.

In 2019, Arthur Brand, a Dutch art detective, succeeded in recovering Picasso's 1938 "Portrait of Dora Maar," which had been stolen from the yacht of a prominent Saudi Arabian figure anchored off the southern coast of France, after 20 years. In 2021, Greek police recovered Picasso's "Head of a Woman," which had been stolen from the National Gallery in Athens in January 2012, as well as Dutch painter Piet Mondrian's "Landscape with Windmill." Last year, Belgian police found Picasso's "Tete" and Chagall's "Man in Prayer," both stolen from Tel Aviv, Israel in 2010, in the basement of a building in Antwerp.