Picasso painting worth $700,000 missing in Spain after vanishing between Madrid and Granada

A Pablo Picasso painting valued at $700,000 has gone missing in Spain after disappearing while being transported between Madrid and Granada.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the disappearance of the 1919 artwork, titled "Still Life with Guitar", which measures just five inches tall.

The piece, known in Spanish as Naturaleza muerta con guitarra, was set to be displayed at the CajaGranada Cultural Centre as part of an upcoming exhibition.

According to officials, the painting was shipped by a transport company and confirmed to have been delivered to the gallery ahead of the exhibition’s opening on 9 October.

The artwork was reportedly moved directly from the delivery van to a freight elevator under constant video surveillance. Gallery staff verified the sealed packages, which remained unopened over the weekend. However, when curators began unpacking the crates on Monday morning, "Still Life with Guitar" was missing.

Security footage reportedly shows no tampering, and there were no recorded incidents during transit or storage. Granada police confirmed that the missing painting has been added to the international database of stolen art, though no cross-border investigation has yet been initiated.

The CajaGranada Foundation, which owns the cultural centre, issued a statement saying the disappearance remains “under investigation.”

The loss of the small but valuable Picasso work recalls other cases in recent years where his paintings have been stolen and later recovered, including incidents in Greece and Belgium.

Created during Picasso’s post-Cubist period, "Still Life with Guitar" is considered a significant example of the artist’s early twentieth-century experimentation with abstract form.