YAAY: A $28 Million Picasso Stolen From A Saudi Billionaire Two Decades Ago Has Finally Been Recovered

Pablo Picasso’s works are amongst the most expensive artworks on the planet, one such that went missing 20 years ago has finally been recovered.

According to ArtNet.com, the painting called Buste de Femme belonged to Saudi billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh, who kept it aboard his yacht. However, the painting got stolen when the yacht was docked in Antibes, France in 1999. It is estimated to be worth $28 million.

Dutch investigator Arthur Brand who is termed as the ‘Indiana Jones of the Art World’ first got a hint on the painting’s whereabouts when the rumour mill was abuzz with news of a Picasso painting in the Dutch underworld.

But recovering it from the underworld hasn’t been easy for Brand. Speaking to the New York Times Brand mentioned that it was hard to find this Picasso as “it was never published, there were almost no pictures of it, and it had never been in a museum.”

Brand claims that the painting may have changed hands 10 times since being stolen from Abdul Mohsen.

Finally, when the painting was recovered by Brand an expert from Pace Gallery confirmed it and Brand hung it on his wall for the night.

The painting is now in with unnamed insurance firm and only time will tell if it will be returned to its last original owner Abdul Mohsen.