{"id":651340,"date":"2026-08-22T22:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T22:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/651340\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T22:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T22:13:12","slug":"guggenheim-in-do-or-die-legal-battle-with-couple-for-picasso-stolen-over-60-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/651340\/","title":{"rendered":"Guggenheim in do-or-die legal battle with couple for Picasso stolen over 60 years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Picasso plundered from the University of Pittsburgh in 1961 has sensationally surfaced more than six decades later \u2014 and now the Guggenheim<\/a> has mounted a do-or-die legal battle against a Massachusetts couple to get it back.<\/p>\n

The oil-on-canvas painting, titled \u201cFemme dans un fauteuil\u201d (Woman in an armchair), mysteriously vanished in 1961 while on loan from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, according to multiple media reports, including Artlyst magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Incredibly, in 2023, a researcher at Christie\u2019s auction house <\/a>evaluating a possible private sale of a 13.5- by 10.5-inch painting for owners Lawrence Jay Handler and Wendy Cohen Handler made a shocking discovery \u2014 it was the missing Picasso<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Picasso\u2019s 1918 \u201cFemme dans un fauteuil,\u201d which was stolen in 1961 while on loan to the University of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

A copy of the Pitt News, the student newspaper at the University of Pittsburgh, features the story of the stolen Picasso from 1961. University of Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

The discovery was reported to the Guggenheim \u2014 and all hell broke loose, turning into a tug-of-war between the Handlers and the museum, which formally demanded the couple give it up, according to the lawsuit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The case of the missing Picasso began<\/a> on Feb. 6, 1961, when a University of Pittsburgh student reported the heart-stopping heist from the Student Union building, where it was on display with other works and due to be returned to the Guggenheim at the end of the month.<\/p>\n

Police and the FBI launched an investigation, a $100 reward was offered and museums across North America were alerted. At the time, the work was estimated to be worth as much as $100,000.<\/p>\n

Then \u2014 nothing happened. For 62 years, the tiny Picasso<\/a> seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth.<\/p>\n

After the Christie\u2019s researchers discovery, the Guggenheim officially demanded it back, according to court papers.<\/p>\n

The Handlers refused. They\u2019d bought the work in 1999 from Beadleston Fine Art, a Manhattan gallery<\/a> that closed in 2002, according to court papers.<\/p>\n

The Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side wants their Picasso back. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n

On Aug. 10, the Guggenheim filed a lawsuit<\/a> in New York State Supreme court insisting on the painting\u2019s return \u2014 plus $3.5 million in damages.<\/p>\n

Court papers do not establish that the Handlers knew the painting had been stolen.<\/p>\n

But the Guggenhaim says their ownership trail is crystal clear.<\/p>\n

Founder Solomon R. Guggenheim bought the masterpiece<\/a> from London\u2019s Gallery Zwemmer<\/a> in 1936, and he was recorded as its owner in Christian Zervo\u2019s 1949 Picasso catalog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Guggenheim spokesperson told The Post, \u201cWe have attempted to settle the matter with the individuals holding the work. The Guggenheim is and always has been the painting\u2019s rightful owner, and we look forward to its recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pablo Picasso, here in his Paris studio, created an estimated 50,000 total works of art during his 78-year career. Bettmann Archive<\/p>\n

Picasso, who died in 1973 at age 91, painted the work<\/a> while honeymooning in Biarritz, France, with first wife, ballet dancer Olga Khokhlova. <\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s estimated worth was $100,000 in1961, it\u2019s likely worth millions today, although the exact amount has not been publicly divulged.<\/p>\n

The Handlers and attorneys for both parties did not return The Post\u2019s inquiries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Picasso plundered from the University of Pittsburgh in 1961 has sensationally surfaced more than six decades later…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":651341,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[267],"tags":[595,365,362,363,364,366,18,117,188364,68943,19,17,10019,11847,2577,132845,4597,46466,4222],"class_list":["post-651340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-art","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-fbi-investigations","tag-guggenheim-museum","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lawsuit","tag-pablo-picasso","tag-painting","tag-rewards","tag-theft","tag-university-of-pittsburgh","tag-us-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117141464964016035","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}