Granada, Spain – October 16, 2025:

Spanish authorities have launched an investigation after a valuable Pablo Picasso painting vanished while being transported from Madrid to Granada for an upcoming exhibition.

The missing artwork, titled Naturaleza Muerta con Guitarra (Still Life with Guitar), is a small gouache and pencil piece painted by Picasso in 1919. Despite its modest size — measuring just 12.7 cm by 9.8 cm — the artwork is valued at €600,000 (£520,000).

The painting was scheduled to be showcased at the CajaGranada Foundation’s latest exhibition, Still Life: The Eternity of the Inert. However, it never arrived at the venue.

Painting Disappeared During Transit from Madrid

According to the foundation, the artwork belonged to a private collector in Madrid and was among several items being transported to Granada on October 3rd. The delivery van reportedly arrived at the exhibition site around 10 a.m., and staff began unloading and verifying the contents.

While some packages were mislabeled, making a full verification impossible, the delivery was nonetheless signed off. The van then departed, and all items remained under video surveillance throughout the weekend.

On Monday, as staff began unpacking and arranging the pieces for the exhibition, curators discovered that Still Life with Guitar was missing. The foundation immediately notified Spain’s Policía Nacional, expressing confidence that the case will be thoroughly investigated and resolved.

Possible Overnight Stop Raises Questions

Spanish media reports indicate that the transport van might have stopped overnight near Granada, with the two couriers taking shifts to guard the high-value cargo. Investigators are exploring whether the painting could have been misplaced, stolen, or swapped during transit.

A History of Picasso Art Thefts

This is not the first time Picasso’s masterpieces have been targeted by thieves. His works, often fetching millions at auctions, have a long history of high-profile thefts:

2007: Two Picasso paintings worth €50 million were stolen from the Paris home of his granddaughter.

2009: A Picasso sketchbook valued at over €8 million disappeared from a Paris museum.

1989: Twelve of Picasso’s paintings, valued at around £9 million, were stolen from Marina Picasso’s villa on the French Riviera.

1976: 118 of his works were taken from a museum in Avignon, France, marking one of the country’s largest-ever art heists.

1997: Picasso’s Tête de Femme, worth more than £500,000, was stolen from a London gallery by a gunman before later being recovered.

Investigation Continues

The CajaGranada Foundation has stated it is fully cooperating with investigators and remains hopeful that the missing painting will be found soon. The case underscores the ongoing security challenges surrounding the transportation of priceless artworks.