Mystery Pablo Picasso's masterpiece, said to be worth millions of pounds, was reportedly discovered during a drug raid in Iraq.
The stolen artwork was found Saturday in the belongings of three of him in Diyala state who were arrested on suspicion of being involved in drug trafficking and transport, officials said.
According to the state-run Iraiqi News Agency, a painting allegedly belonging to a Spanish artist has been seized.
His Colonel Bilal Sobhi, Director of the Anti-Drug Media Department, said in his statement:
He added: “Drug trafficking is linked to many crimes, including murder, theft, kidnapping, rape, gang formation, corruption, family breakdown, and even antiques trading.”
The attack, which was discovered, was part of an ongoing security operation in theIraqi province.
Sobhi claims to have arrested 1,300 suspects and seized "44 kg of narcotic material" since the operation began in July.
Images of the artwork and details of its condition have not been released.
According to National, the painting has not yet been authenticated.
Picasso, who died in 1973, is believed to have produced approximately 50,000 works during his lifetime.
He also created hundreds of sculptures and pottery and some 34,000 illustrations.
It was nine years later that his female head, one of his works, was discovered last year.
GreeceIn Kerathia, a rural area about 45 km (28 miles) southeast of Athens, officials were recovered after being led into the woods by the accused.
Footage later distributed by the police from his stash showed one of his paintings sealed in a package under a bush.
Greek authorities have confirmed the recovery of a Picasso painting that the Spanish master personally donated to the Greek people. Germany gifted the Greek nation with a Cubist painting in acknowledgment of its resistance to Nazi Germany during the harrowing occupation.
Picasso from Málaga, Spain, was arguably the most famous artist of his twentieth century.
An artist usually scribbles something with a pencil and then paints directly over it, incorporating his previous work into a new one.
In May a portrait of Picasso's lover and the mother of one of his children, 'Femme nue Couchee' (Reclining Naked Woman), sold for his £55.8 million at auction.
Who is Pablo Picasso?
Perhaps the most famous artist of his twentieth century, Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, and was inspired by his father, an artist and teacher. received and wrote: National Gallery.
After spending time in Barcelona, he moved to Paris in his 1904.
Early paintings of the so-called Blue Period were transformed into paintings in pink and gray tones.
He tried everything from newsprint and napkins to decorative wallpaper, the Royal Academysaid.
Picasso studied printmaking techniques for decades, sourcing rare and antique papers from as far away as Japan, but never lost his urge to paint every last scrap. There was no
Picasso, who is believed to have produced about 50,000 works in his lifetime, painted over his previous paintings to reuse canvas. was known for
The artist usually scribbles something with a pencil and then paints directly over it, incorporating his previous work into a new one.
Hidden graffiti has been discovered beneath a Picasso masterpiece.
In 2014, experts discovered a portrait of a mysterious man behind a painting of a bathing woman in The Blue Room.
A hidden sketch of a landscape by another artist was discovered beneath Picasso's painting 'La Miseruse Acrupi' (aka 'The Crouching Beggar').
Classical art became an increasingly important influence on Picasso's art after a visit to Rome in 1917.
Years as a young artist in Barcelona After struggling in poverty, Picasso moved to Paris.By the 20th century, and early 1930s, he was celebrated and wealthy.
His later years were spent mainly in the South of France, where he produced paintings and graphics his art, sculpture and ceramics.
