Picasso is also the favorite among thieves: 450 works by the artist from Málaga are sought by Interpol.

Not only is he the most sought after by collectors at auctions or the most visited in exhibitions. Pablo Picasso is also the favorite ... of the white-glove thieves. Those same ones who last weekend starred in a movie-like robbery at the Louvre Museum, have a special fixation on the esteemed artist from Malaga. One only needs to glance at the updated Interpol list of stolen art to see that the Spanish painter is also the most coveted in the black market of art, where a staggering 452 works bearing his signature circulate. These are the known ones. The ones that are reported by their owners and sought after by the International Criminal Police Organization, which includes the author of 'Guernica' among the most wanted in this fraudulent traffic of artistic pieces.

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Whether for illegal sale or commissioned by some collector for exclusive and personal enjoyment, Picasso stands far apart from most authors listed in this international catalog of Stolen Artworks. Thus, top-tier painters like Van Gogh only have 7 canvases reported by their rightful owners, while another contemporary and popular name like Andy Warhol has 54 missing pieces. Among those closest on this criminal list of missing artistic heritage is Salvador Dalí, with a hundred stolen works. A number, however, far from the stolen production of the artist from Malaga. Meanwhile, other great contemporaries of Pablo Picasso, such as Paul Cezanne and Joan Miró, are also present in this inventory with 'only' 13 and 23 pieces, respectively.

Interpol collects all this artistic heritage in the mobile phone application ID-Art, which has already reached the notable figure of 57,000 records of art thefts and disappearances worldwide. An exercise in transparency and dissemination that describes the works with the aim of reducing illegal trafficking and trade of these cultural goods. And the name that repeats most in the app is that of the Malagan Pablo Picasso with 452 pieces, of which most are prints and numbered graphic works, although the original, exclusive, and most valuable work is also plentiful: 77 paintings and drawings. And with the great themes of the master: his women and family, still lifes, self-portraits, and bullfighting compositions.

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Of the 452 missing Picasso pieces, there are original, exclusive, and highly valuable works: 77 paintings and drawings

Most of the reports of missing Picassian works come from France, although Interpol is searching for paintings valued in millions of euros almost all over the world, from the United States to Israel, passing through Italy, Czechia, Slovakia, Belgium, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden, and, of course, Spain. If we talk about exclusive, non-serialized pieces, in our country notable works such as 'Portrait of a Man', an undated painting that matches his training years by its academic style, and 'Portrait of a Woman', an oil painting with the artist's signature at the top of the canvas, which was separated from its original frame, have been reported.

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The list also includes very valuable works, such as a notebook with about thirty original drawings by the Malagan's first wife, Olga Khokhlova, and the watercolor 'A Musketeer' (1969), related to the oil painting 'Musketeer with Sword' (1972) which can currently be seen hanging in the halls of the Picasso Museum Malaga.

Stolen or legal?

All this information is accessible on the mobile screen through ID-Art, an easy-to-use tool that, by simply scanning a work in front of us, tells us if we are looking at a stolen or legal piece. A very complete database since this international project has compiled records and reports from 134 countries with the aim of facilitating the recovery of art and valuable objects, ranging from paintings to antiques, through sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, furniture, goldsmithing, and, of course, jewels like those stolen last weekend at the Louvre Museum.

If the recent theft of a Picasso in Granada is confirmed, it will join the ID-Art list as number 453 of the plundered works of the Malagan

The challenge in the fight against the trafficking of these stolen works lies in the scant unity among different artistic legislations. "In many countries, there is a lack of knowledge of cultural laws, so it is important that personnel are dedicated exclusively to this area, in addition to cataloging cultural heritage and working the standard in which our database operates," explains Tiziano Coiro, coordinator of the Artworks Unit at Interpol, who emphasizes the need to collaborate and "share information" among different police forces since this type of criminal activity has international reach and its traffic often exceeds the borders of the states where they are committed.

This will happen with the recent Picasso drawing that disappeared last week at a temporary exhibition in Granada and valued at 600,000 euros. A case that is currently being investigated by the Spanish police. If its theft is confirmed, it will join the ID-Art list as number 453 of the plundered works of the Malagan.