Spanish police recover missing Picasso painting ahead of Granada exhibition

Spanish police announced that they have recovered a 1919 Pablo Picasso painting that went missing earlier this month before its scheduled display at a temporary exhibition in southern Spain.

The small framed artwork, “Still Life with Guitar,” was part of a shipment of pieces transported from Madrid to Granada for an exhibition organized by the CajaGranada Foundation. The organizers filed a police report on October 10 after discovering the painting was missing upon unpacking the shipment, Reuters reports.

In a post on X, Spanish police stated that the artwork “may not have been loaded onto the transport truck before the shipment left Madrid.” The investigation remains ongoing under the Historical Heritage Brigade, though authorities have not yet determined whether a criminal offense was involved.

Police also released photos showing forensic experts examining the recovered painting while wearing sterile bodysuits and masks.

The painting, which belongs to a private collector, had been registered in Interpol’s global database of Stolen Works of Art, which lists nearly 57,000 missing items.

According to the CajaGranada Foundation, security footage from the exhibition site showed only 57 artworks being unloaded from the vehicle upon arrival—one short of the 58 pieces listed in the shipment manifest.

The recovery brings relief to curators and art historians, as the work—created during Picasso’s formative years—was set to be a highlight of the Granada exhibition.

By Vafa Guliyeva