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1919 Picasso Disappears En Route to Granada Exhibition as Police Investigate

Staff discovered the €600,000 gouache missing during unpacking days after accepting a mislabeled shipment into storage.

Overview

  • Fundación CajaGranada reported the loss of Picasso’s Still Life with Guitar to Spain’s National Police, which have opened an investigation and withheld further details.
  • The work, a small 1919 gouache and graphite on paper from a private lender, was to be shown in the exhibition Bodegón. La eternidad de lo inerte in Granada.
  • The transport collected loans in Madrid on September 25, departed for Granada on October 2, arrived October 3, and the absence was detected when crates were opened on October 6.
  • Reports describe packing and registration irregularities, including duplicate numbering and the last‑minute inclusion of an unscheduled work at the owner’s request.
  • Foundation staff noted incorrect numbering on arrival but signed receipt and stored the crates in a camera‑monitored room, and surveillance showed no suspicious activity as the transport firm says its drivers stayed with the vehicle overnight.