Pablo Picasso, perhaps the most important artist of the 20th Century, certainly created one. Despite this legacy, museums’ records are tarnished by a history of brazen art heists across continents and decades. Picasso’s most characteristic works, such as “The Weeping Woman” and “Portrait of Suzanne Bloch” have stunned aesthetic connoisseurs. Similarly, they have been magnets for thieves who have sought to profit from his genius. The thefts raise troubling questions about art security. They underscore the lengths that some people will go to get their hands on a piece of that history.
In 1986, The Weeping Woman, one of Picasso’s most recognizable works fled the National Gallery of Victoria. This particular piece was bought for $1.6 million just a year before it was stolen. The artwork’s fate remained uncertain until it was miraculously recovered in a locker at Spencer Street train station, highlighting the unpredictable nature of art crime. Over the years, many other Picasso works have disappeared from major European and South American museums.
A Pattern of Theft
The systematic targeting of Picasso’s works has been well documented on many occasions in different countries. Criminals are just as attracted to his art as collectors. This interest has led to thefts occurring not only in Australia, but in the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, and The Netherlands. In 2012 alone, significant pieces were stolen from museums in both Greece and The Netherlands, emphasizing a troubling trend in art crime.
One of the largest and most notorious of these art thefts occurred in 2007. Thieves stole this “Portrait of Suzanne Bloch” from the Art Museum of Sao Paulo. At the time of its theft, this painting was valued at $50 million. Thieves boldly entered the art museum with the tools of a carjack and a crowbar. They pushed through the front door as brazenly as they could. After the theft, the stolen paintings—including the Picasso—were found propped up against a wall on the outskirts of Sao Paulo.
High-Profile Incidents
Alongside these thefts, some other high-profile incidents have seen works by Picasso implicated too. In 2010, “Pigeon with Peas” was stolen from Paris’s Musée d’Art Moderne. Over the weekend, a thief dubbed “Spider-Man” claimed responsibility for the heist. He provocatively claimed that he threw the work in the dumpster. These remarks have focused the media’s attention on the dangerous and cavalier methods thieves generally use when dealing with high-value art.
A director at a major Brazilian auction house recently told us, in disbelief, how easy it is for thieves to get their hands on priceless pieces. He remarked, “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.” This feeling is symptomatic of deeper anxieties related to the security of museum collections and the protection of cultural heritage.
The Artist’s Legacy
Despite these thefts, Picasso’s impact on the art world remains profound, as highlighted by his famous quote: “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.” This understanding of creativity is unique, though, particularly in discussions about art crime. It underscores the deep, often contradictory connection between artistic inspiration and property.
The Australian Cultural Terrorists once commented that engaging in such thefts “involved less risk than shoplifting cotton hankies from David Jones,” thereby trivializing the severity of these criminal acts. They highlighted how these art heists often appear deceptively simple yet can have lasting implications for cultural institutions and society at large.
