Picasso painting found in Athens years after gallery heist

Art and Literature 01:14 PM - 2021-06-29

Photo credit: NATIONAL ART GALLERY

A painting by Pablo Picasso that was stolen nine years ago during a heist at a Greek gallery has been recovered.

 

On Monday, police in Athens said Picasso's Woman's Head had been found along with a 1905 painting of a windmill by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian.

 

Both were taken, along with a third artwork, during an elaborate 2012 heist at the Athens National Gallery.

 

The artworks were stripped from their frames in the early morning raid which only took minutes to carry out.

 

The Reuters news agency, citing an anonymous police official, reported that a Greek man has been arrested after the art was found hidden at a gorge on the outskirts of the city.

 

Monday's announcement came just months after it was reported that Greek police still believed the artwork was in the country.

 

The Picasso painting, a portrait of a woman in his signature cubist style, was given to the National Gallery by the artist himself back in 1949. He said the gift, painted a decade earlier, was in recognition of the country's resistance to Nazi Germany.

 

A second Mondrian painting was left at the scene during the heist after thieves dropped it while making their escape.

 

Officials are expected to hold a press conference about the art recovery on Tuesday.

 

 

 

PUKmedia / BBC