A very rare and stolen Picasso has been returned to its home. This is a momentous moment as art theft is a contentious topic and cases typically lead to dead ends. That a Picasso, of all artworks, was returned has been hailed in Paris where it now resides again, The New York Times reported.
"La Coiffeuse" or The Hairdresser was made in 1911 and is part of the master's Cubism artworks. Its theft was discovered by the Pompidou Centre in 2001 as it responded to a loan request and the staff found out about its disappearance, Reuters reported.
The small artwork is valued at $15 million. When the artwork was recovered in a package from Belgium to New York, it was labeled as a $37 Christmas gift. US Customs officials intercepted it in 2014 at the Newark Airport in New Jersey and the painting was authenticated by museum experts earlier this year, BBC reported.
The painting required three months of restoration in a secret Paris location before it was unveiled to the public today. "It was such a moment of joy when I was told that this painting was found again," said Oliver Picasso, a grandson of the master. He also called the discovery an important moment in art history.
The French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin, however, put into perspective art theft. His example is the systematic plunder of ancient artifacts by the Islamic extremists who operate in Iraq and Syria. It is no surprise that the sale of these objects is what keeps the organization afloat.
She said, "The battle against trafficking in artwork... also sees unfortunate events, dramatic ones even, such as the systematic and perfectly organized pillaging that the Islamic State group is committing in Iraq and Syria." She adds, "We know that this terrorist group nourishes itself through the dismemberment and sale of objects taken from sites of antiquity such as that of Palmyra."
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