Dutch Art Detective Arthur Brand says he’s uncovered a highly valuable Picasso portrait, stolen from the yacht of a Saudi Sheikh in 1999.
The 1938 painting titled ‘Buste de Femme’ depicts Pablo Picasso’s lover of seven years Dora Maar and is believed to be worth around $39 million. In 1999, the portrait was stolen from the boat of billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh while it was anchored in the town of Antibes on the French Riviera.But now Brand says the portrait was being passed around the Dutch black market, before being delivered to him 10 days ago by its current owner.The Stolen Picasso was passed around in the Dutch underworld.
He told AFP the Picasso was “often being used as collateral, popping up in a drug deal here, four years later in an arms deal there.”Brand took several years to verify whether the painting was indeed the stolen ‘Buste de Femme’ and then put out appeals to those who may have inadvertently bought the stolen artwork.
The current owners of the painting contacted him in March and the Picasso was delivered to his apartment in the last two weeks.‘The Indiana Jones of the Art World’
To be fair the robbers probably felt sorry for him & gave it back.