Stolen $30,000 Pablo Picasso lithograph founding leaning against a fence
A Pablo Picasso lithograph has been found after it was reported stolen in May from a home of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko after an illegal teenage party, the Marin Independent Journal reported.
Teenagers reportedly ransacked the California home taking the painting and $5,000 in computers and candlesticks.
“They had gotten in and basically ransacked multiple rooms in the house,” Novato police Sgt. Eric Riddell told the paper.
The image and date on the lithograph match a 1957 series of 50 prints titled “femme au chignon,” or woman with bun. The lithographs, which depict a woman’s profile, are listed on numerous art websites. One of them — numbered 47/50 — carried an estimated value of $30,000 to $40,000, according to a 2008 Sotheby’s auction listing.
Police speculated that it was placed there to be found. The painting is one of 50 that were made in 1957, the paper reported.
Police haven’t recovered any of the computers or candlesticks.
Lazarenko is in prison on money laundering charges and is due to be released in November, NBCBayArea.com reported. The home is owned by a holding company that prosecutors have tied to Lazarenko, NBCBayArea.com said.
This Picasso lithograph worth $30,000 was recovered Sunday. It was stolen from the Novato mansion owned by Pavlo Lazarenko, former Ukrainian prime minister, during an illlegal teenage party at his home. (Provided by Novato police)
