Lost Picasso painting found again: forgot to load it

It was almost a month Naturaleza muerta con guitarra (‘still life with guitar’) nowhere to be seen. The small painting that Picasso made in 1919 would be part of an exhibition in Granada. However, it never got to that point. After investigation by the Spanish police, it appears that the painting was not stolen, but merely forgotten to load on the bus from Madrid to Granada.

The case was widely reported in Spanish media and a few inconsistencies attracted attention. For example, two paintings had been given the same number, another work was added to the exhibition at the last minute and the list of paintings was incorrectly arranged at the beginning. However, the most striking part of the matter was that two workers decided to stay overnight in a small town just 22 kilometers before their destination, rather than make the journey from Madrid to Granada in one go.

The cultural center CajaGranada Fundación, where the exhibition was to take place, subsequently filed a report. The work, insured by a private collector for around €600,000, was believed to have disappeared between leaving the owner’s home and the time the van reached Granada.

‘Forgotten package’

That turned out to be correct, at least: the painting did not get further than the doorway of the owner’s house during the transport operation. according to Spanish media. A neighbor found the work, thought it was a lost package and took it home. She put it there, but didn’t open it. It was only when she heard about the missing Picasso from her husband that she called the police. The package could well contain the very expensive painting.

The authenticity of the painting, measuring only 12.7 by 9.8 centimeters, has been established and the national police have announced that they will continue their investigation to find out how the disappearance occurred.

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