Spanish police said on Friday that a Pablo Picasso artwork which went missing while being transported to an exhibition has been recovered – prompting questions over whether it had ever actually been placed on the delivery truck in the first place.
According to Spanish media, the painting was found after a woman mistakenly took it home thinking it was a parcel.
The 1919 gouache and pencil piece, Still Life with Guitar, valued at roughly €600,000, reportedly ‘vanished’ earlier this month during its journey from Madrid to Granada (Andalusia), where it was scheduled to feature in a new exhibition organised by the Caja Granada Foundation. ALSO READ: Police probe disappearance of Picasso painting en route from Madrid to Granada for an exhibition.
The painting, owned by a private collector in Madrid, was discovered to be missing when the truck was unloaded on 6 October, according to curators at the foundation.
In a statement, the Caja Granada Foundation noted that all of the transported works had been under continuous video surveillance from the moment they arrived, three days earlier.
Police were alerted to the disappearance and confirmed the painting’s recovery on Friday.
‘Initial investigations suggest that the painting may not have been loaded onto the transport truck,’ said a statement from the National Police.
The police later confirmed that the painting had never left the building where it was awaiting collection in Madrid. Sources close to the investigation told the EFE news agency that a transport company was meant to pick up the artwork with other pieces, but it was left behind in the entrance hall.
A neighbour then found the package and took it home for safekeeping, believing it was a delivery. Days later, after hearing news reports about the missing Picasso, the woman’s husband checked the box and realised what was in it. The couple then contacted police.
Images released by the authorities showed forensic experts inspecting and opening the recovered package.
The foundation said it remained hopeful that Still Life with Guitar could still be included in the exhibition, which opened on 9 October and runs until 11 January.
Picasso’s works have long been a magnet for art thieves due to their immense market value. Two of his paintings recently fetched over $140 million at auction.
In 1976, more than 100 of his works were stolen from the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France, though all were eventually recovered.
Born in Malaga in 1881, Picasso – who died in 1973 – is considered one of the defining figures of 20th-century art.
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Recuperado el #Picasso 🖼 desaparecido en su traslado a una exposición en #Granada
Podría no haber llegado a subir al camión de transporte
La Brigada de Patrimonio Histórico de @policia mantiene abierta la investigación una vez que agentes de Policía Científica han… pic.twitter.com/lb5jN8tFvI
— Policía Nacional (@policia) October 24, 2025
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