Missing Picasso painting bound for Granada exhibition found in Madrid
The National Police say that the artwork never even made it onto the van that was due to take it to the exhibition
A Picasso painting that was reported missing as it was being transported to an exhibition from Madrid to Granada city has been found. The National Police have verified that the package found on Thursday 23 October in Madrid corresponds to the artwork whose disappearance had been reported on 3 October. They have said that they believe it never even made it onto the van which was transporting a collection of artworks from Madrid to Granada for an exhibition with the CajaGranada Foundation.
Sources close to the case have told SUR that the painting did not leave the owner's house. The National Police are now focusing on the expert analysis of the painting to guarantee that it is authentic, although they believe it is indeed the original Still Life with Guitar, insured for 600,000 euros.
The discovery comes two weeks after the CajaGranada Foundation reported the disappearance of the Picasso. Investigations have been carried out by the historical heritage branch of the National Police who took statements and analysed the images from the security cameras of the warehouse where it was stored before being moved, the museum in Granada and the hostel in Deifontes, a village in Granada province where the workers of the company that were transporting the artwork stayed for a night on their journey.
The story of the loss
The mystery dates back to 25 September, when five workers arrived at the property of the owner of the artworks in Madrid, to pack and assemble them into a van. The process, which lasted an hour, was supervised by two curators of the exhibition, as well as by the owner and his niece.
They were then moved to the warehouse of the transport company, located in Madrid and stored in a chamber with video surveillance and a security alarm which, according to the workers, did not go off at any time. In this type of exhibition, which includes works by several owners, they are usually collected in the same place before being moved together, which in this case took place just a week later, on Thursday 2 October. A total of 57 works of art were loaded into the vehicle.
The van and two workers departed for Granada at around 4pm on the same day but the artworks did not reach their destination, according to sources. Instead there was a stop in Deifontes at around 8.30pm where they spent the night at Hostal el Nacimiento.
José Gutiérrez, owner of the hostel where they stopped, explains that the two men had dinner and chatted with him for a while. He offered them a drink after dinner but explains that declined, went to bed and he didn't see them again until the next day, at breakfast.
The following day, Friday, 3 October, the workers set off for the CajaGranada Foundation in Granada city. There, the material was unloaded in the presence of members of the organisation, who noticed that the packaging was not correctly numbered. The head of exhibitions signed for the delivery and the work was finished. The Picasso was not among the artwork deposited.
