About a decade ago, two thieves stole several pieces of artwork, including Picasso’s Head of a Woman, at the National Gallery in Athens. Since the break-in, museum curators have heightened their security system but new research suggests that the painting may still be in the country.
Head of a Woman was painted in 1939 using a cubist style. The painting has a muddy, blue-green background and the head of the woman is made using sharp, geometric lines and shapes. She wears a white shirt and has black hair. Like most Picasso portraits, the composition of her face is all awry as her mouth is placed on her right cheek and her nose extends below her mouth.
The painting itself was gifted to the National Gallery in 1946 in recognition of the resistance of the Nazi agenda in Athens.
The heist itself is among one of the biggest that Athens has ever seen. Security footage shows the two men removing the paintings from the walls and setting off alarms away from the paintings to stray away the guards. Eventually, two men were arrested for the heist, but the leader behind this group has not been found.
Authorities were hoping to retrieve the stolen pieces to return to the museum to celebrate its recent renovation. The National Gallery is scheduled for reopening on March 25th to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence.
Resources:
GREENSBORO COLLEGE ART COLUMN 