Spain recovers missing Picasso painting bound for Granada show

Spanish police have recovered a Pablo Picasso painting that went missing in early October while being prepared for an exhibition in Granada, authorities said Friday.

In a post on the US social media company X, the National Police said the work had "disappeared in its transfer to an exhibition in Granada" and "may not have been loaded onto the transport truck."

The Historical Heritage Brigade is leading the inquiry, the police said, while the Scientific Police have inspected the recovered package.

According to public broadcaster RTVE, the small 1919 piece titled Still Life with Guitar and valued at €600,000 (nearly $700,000) was to be part of the exhibition Still Life: The Eternity of the Inert at the CajaGranada cultural center. It was packed on Sept. 25 and due to arrive on Oct. 3, but was found missing when the crates were opened three days later.

According to the report, the disappearance was officially reported to police on Oct. 10, prompting the painting's inclusion in the international database of stolen artworks.

Authorities have released no details on how the piece was recovered, as the investigation remains open.