Picasso painting missing in Spain has been found
Tiny in size — about 13 x 10 cm — Pablo Picasso’s Still Life with Guitar (Naturaleza muerta con guitarra) mysteriously disappeared during its transport from Madrid to Granada. Was it stolen? Lost? Or just handled carelessly?
The facts indicate that this 1919 work, made with gouache and pencil on paper, was part of a group of 57 privately owned pieces, all destined for the exhibition Still Life: The Eternity of the Inanimate, scheduled to take place in Granada.
The work was entrusted on October 1st to a transport company (whose name has not been disclosed) and was kept at the courier’s premises in Madrid, together with the other artworks, to be shipped the following day to its final destination.
The distance between Madrid and Granada can be covered in about four hours, so doubts remain as to why, on October 2nd, the transporters — instead of completing the trip in a single day — stopped for the night in Deifontes, just a few kilometres from Granada. According to statements made to investigators, the couriers said they had taken turns watching over the cargo and had completed the delivery the next day, handing over the artworks to the Caja Granada Cultural Centre.
The crates were unloaded in a secure, video-monitored area. However, it was only the following Monday, during inspection and unpacking, that one artwork was found to be missing. The exhibition’s curator reported that the crates were not all numbered, making it impossible to verify the presence of every piece at the time of delivery without unpacking them.
Plot twist: on October 24th, news agencies reported that the work had not only been found — but had in fact never left Madrid at all!
So, does this story have a happy ending? Well, not exactly.
Above all, it highlights how crucial the handling and transport stages are when a work of art is lent for an exhibition. It is truly surprising that none of the parties involved carried out accurate incoming and outgoing checks at each step.
It is objectively hard to believe that, at the time of delivery, a thorough verification of the list of works was not performed — especially considering their value — starting with a count of the crates and a check of the accompanying documents.
Could it really be that even the most basic precautions were not taken?
Normally, a transport document is mandatory, ideally complemented by a Condition Report, which is essential not only for the courier but above all for the registrars. These documents must, by protocol, be matched to the crates and carefully compared with the shipping notes.
If scientific diagnostics are added to these checks, it becomes possible to document the conservation state of the artwork at departure and compare it in detail with its condition upon arrival.
From point A to point B, the work can also be monitored continuously — both physically and through tracking of the crate’s movement — thanks to the integration of data loggers. These devices provide precise details not only on movements but also on environmental parameters essential for the work’s preservation.
In recent years, such tools have evolved significantly and can now provide comprehensive and reliable data at minimal cost.
Diagnostics should also be considered an effective deterrent against theft.
A thorough photographic campaign, material analysis, and systematic cataloguing become essential tools to compare a recovered artwork and verify its authenticity — and to rule out the possibility that it has been replaced by a fake.
Similarly, these measures can clarify whether the artwork’s condition remained intact prior to its disappearance.
A simple data logger would have been enough to immediately locate the crate containing the painting.
This time, things turned out well (or did they?). Still, many details remain unclear.
We trust that all necessary verifications will be carried out — including confirming the authenticity of what has been recovered. That should not be difficult, given that Picasso is one of the most extensively documented artists in art history.
Perhaps it’s wrong to think badly of people — but sometimes…
Curiosity: did you know that Picasso was once accused of stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre? Of course, we now know very well that it wasn’t him.ell that ends well: Picasso painting missing in Spain has been found.
