Police in Spain are investigating the disappearance of a small but valuable painting by Pablo Picasso.
Nature morte à la guitare (Still life with guitar) was loaded on to a lorry in Madrid with 56 other works on Oct 2, to be driven to Granada for an exhibition.
But when the vehicle arrived at the Caja Granada Foundation the next day and the show’s organisers started unwrapping the works, they could not find the 1919 painting, which is about the size of a postcard.
Police were called in to try to track down the missing Picasso, said to be worth 600,000 euros (about £520,000), which was due to feature in the exhibition looking at still-life painting over four centuries.
Spanish police are trying to trace Still life with a guitar, which was loaded on to a lorry on Oct 2
The drive from the transport company’s depot in Madrid to the foundation’s headquarters in Granada would usually take about four hours, but the lorry stopped overnight at a roadside hotel 15 miles from the destination.
Investigators have asked the two transport workers why they decided to do the stopover at Hotel Nacimiento in Diefontes. According to the investigation, the workers took turns to guard the vehicle through the night.
The Caja Granada Foundation said the lorry was unloaded at its headquarters, the delivery was signed for, and all the packages inside were taken by lift to the exhibition space on the first floor. When curators started to unwrap the works on Oct 6, they realised Nature morte à la guitare was missing.
The foundation said in a statement: “As not all the packaging was properly numbered, it was not possible to conduct a full check without unpacking.”
The works were “under video surveillance at all times”, the foundation said, adding that no break-ins or other incidents were recorded in the space over the weekend.
Nature morte à la guitare, in gouache and pencil, measures 12.7cm by 9.8cm. A Picasso specialist from Ledor Fine Art said it was bought at auction several years ago for 60,000 euros, but sources from the Caja Granada Foundation have said the insurance valuation relating to its intended display was set 10 times higher, at 600,000 euros.
Spain’s National Police force said no arrests had been made in the case and that it was still trying to ascertain when and where the painting disappeared.
