Five inch tall Picasso painting worth $700,000 disappears en route to Spanish exhibit

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A small painting by Picasso, worth $700,000, has been stolen in Spain. The artwork, created in 1919 and only five inches in height, disappeared while being transported between Madrid and Granada. Police are now investigating the theft.

The lost painting, called Still Life with Guitar, was supposed to be displayed at an art show at the CajaGranada Cultural Center. Other Picasso paintings have been stolen in the past and found again in places like Greece and Belgium, where there have been some high-profile art thefts recently.

Police investigating disappearance of ‘Still Life with Guitar’

Gallery officials say the painting arrived by delivery truck just before the exhibit opened on October 9th. The artwork was taken straight from the truck to a freight elevator, and the entire process was recorded on video. Staff checked the sealed packages, and they remained untouched until the exhibit began.

On Monday morning, when museum staff started opening the shipping containers, the painting *Still Life with Guitar* (known as *Naturaleza muerta con guitarra* in Spanish) was missing. Security cameras didn’t show any signs of forced entry, and there were no reports of anything happening to it during shipping or while it was in storage.

Granada police have registered the missing artwork with an international stolen art database, but haven’t begun working with other countries to recover it yet. The CajaGranada Foundation, which manages the cultural center where the painting was displayed, stated that the investigation into its disappearance is ongoing.

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2025-10-18 17:18