Spain’s National Police are investigating the disappearance of a Picasso painting insured for €600,000, that was supposed to be transported from Madrid to Granada (Andalusia) to be displayed as part of an exhibition.
According to Spanish media, the painting was due to be on display at the Caja Granada Cultural Centre – but was not found with other pieces that arrived by transport.
It is unknown where the painting, which was being transported along with 56 other works to form part of the ‘Still Life. The Eternity of the Inert‘ exhibition, disappeared.
According to the Granada newspaper Ideal, the missing Picasso painting, Still Life with Guitar, was stored in Madrid along with the rest of the collection on 25 September. It left Madrid on 2 October in a van escorted by two couriers.
The journey, which would usually be a four-hour drive, reportedly included an unplanned overnight stop in Deifontes, a small town north of Granada. Spanish media has reported that the drivers took turns to sleep in the vehicle to guard the cargo, that had a total value of over €6 million.
As the detour was not part of the agreed itinerary, it is now at the centre of the police inquiry.
The van reached the exhibition centre in Granada the next morning. All the crates were unloaded in a video-monitored area. Because the crates were not numbered, staff said it was impossible to confirm whether all the packages matched the shipment list without opening them.
According to sources from the police force, the complaint that the painting was missing was filed by the Caja Granada Foundation on 10 October.
Police are analysing security video and route logs to determine whether the disappearance occurred during the Deifontes stop, in transit, or after arrival in Granada. No arrests have been made so far.
The Caja Granada Cultural Centre opened its exhibition as planned. It was designed to rediscover still life, one of the oldest and most symbolic genres in the history of art, through pieces created between the 17th and 20th centuries.
Still Life with Guitar was painted in 1919 in gouache and lead pencil on paper, and the 12.7cm by 9.8cm work is a small example from Picasso’s post-cubist period. It was sold several years ago for around €60,00 before its insured value rose tenfold for the Granada exhibition.
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🔴 La Policía Nacional investiga la desaparición de un cuadro de Picasso cuando era trasladado de Madrid a Granada para ser mostrado en una exposición https://t.co/oDjyczL6BV pic.twitter.com/Klg5GKxbUL
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) October 16, 2025
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