Picasso: The Most Stolen Artist in the World
Table of Contents
A staggering number of Pablo Picasso’s artworks have been stolen over the decades, making him the most targeted artist according to the Art Loss Register. From brazen heists at world-renowned museums to politically motivated thefts, the story of stolen Picassos reveals vulnerabilities in art security and the enduring allure – despite its unsellability – of the 20th century master’s work.
“It’s appalling that anyone with half a brain would be able to walk into one of Latin America’s most important museums and steal a Picasso,” spluttered a disbelieving Brazilian auction house director following a daring 2007 robbery.
The São Paulo Heist: A Shocking Display of Security Lapses
On December 20, 2007, three men exploited a lapse in security at the Art Museum of São Paulo, Brazil, making off with two iconic paintings in under four minutes. The stolen works included Pablo Picasso’s 1904 Portrait of Suzanne Bloch, painted during his “blue period,” and The Coffee Worker by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari. Portrait of Suzanne Bloch, depicting a surly-looking singer, was valued at US$50 million at the time.
The audacity of the theft was compounded by the museum’s lack of preparedness. Neither painting was insured, and critically, the museum had no alarm system. This revelation sparked widespread outrage, exposing that the majority of the museum’s collection was similarly uninsured. Fortunately, the thieves, remarkably, hadn’t bothered to wear masks and were captured on CCTV. They were apprehended weeks later, and the paintings were recovered leaning against a house on the outskirts of São Paulo, returned to the museum under police escort with a helicopter overhead.
The museum’s president announced plans to upgrade security to match that of The Louvre in Paris, a promise that felt somewhat hollow given the recent jewel heist at the Louvre itself, perpetrated by thieves using a crane.
A History of Targeting Picasso
The 2007 Brazilian heist was far from an isolated incident. As many in Melbourne can attest, Picasso’s work has been a frequent target for thieves for decades. In 1986, The Weeping Woman was stolen from The National Gallery of Victoria, prompting a ransom note addressed to Victoria’s then arts minister, Race Mathews: “We have stolen the Picasso from the National Gallery.”
Purchased the previous year for $1.6 million, the painting was considered a cornerstone of the gallery’s collection. However, the theft was claimed by a group calling themselves the Australian Cultural Terrorists, who asserted the act was “less risky than shoplifting cotton hankies from David Jones.” Their demands weren’t monetary, but rather an increase in arts funding and the creation of an art prize – “The Picasso Ransom” – for emerging artists.
After a significant media frenzy, The Weeping Woman was ultimately discovered in a locker at Spencer Street (now Southern Cross) train station. The identities of the thieves remain a mystery to this day.
The Challenges of Selling Stolen Masterpieces
The Australian Cultural Terrorists’ motives were unique, but the practice of stealing famous artworks for ransom is common, despite the near impossibility of selling such pieces on the open market. Stolen masterpieces fetch only a fraction of their value if sold illegally. Nevertheless, Picasso’s work continues to attract thieves.
In 2010, Picasso’s Pidgeon with Peas was among five paintings stolen from Paris’s Musée d’Art Moderne. A thief, nicknamed “spider-man,” later claimed to have discarded the cubist painting in the trash during his 2017 trial. However, authorities suspect the painting, valued at $23 million euros, was smuggled out of France and its current whereabouts remain unknown.
Further thefts occurred in 2012, targeting museums in Greece and The Netherlands. Picasso’s artworks have also been stolen from institutions in the UK, Switzerland, and Sweden, as well as from private collections. The Art Loss Register confirms that Picasso is, unequivocally, the artist with the most stolen work globally – a legacy perhaps unforeseen when he reportedly quipped, “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
