Top 5 Robberies of Picasso's Work

The Picasso sketchbook that was stolen from the Picasso Museum in Paris on June 9th was worth a hefty $11 million, but it pales in comparison to the robberies of some of Picasso's most valuable works that have occurred since Picasso's death in 1973. Here is my top 5 list of some of the more interesting, notorious, and lucrative robberies.

5. In 1989, thieves stole artwork by Picasso worth approximately $17 million from the home of Picasso's granddaughter Marina Picasso.

4. A few days before the Christmas of 2007, two paintings  - "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" by Picasso and "O Lavrador de Café" by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari - were stolen from the Museum of Art in Sao Paulo. The paintings, which were worth upwards of $50 million, were stolen in the time span of three to four minutes.

3. In 1994, seven Picasso paintings were stolen from a museum in Zurich. The paintings, worth approximately $44 million, were not recovered for six. years

2. In February 26 2007, thieves broke into the Paris apartment of Picasso's granddaughter, Diana Widmaier-Picasso, and stole two paintings worth about $66 million.

1. In 1976, 118 Picasso paintings were stolen from a museum in Avignon. It was one of the biggest robberies in French history. 

Picasso's most valuable painting - "Boy with a Pipe" - was auctioned of for 104.2 million in 2004.