Employees adjust the painting "Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar), 1943" (Buste de femme au chapeau a fleurs (Dora Maar), 1943) by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) on display before its auction at Drouot auction house in Paris, France, September 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Officers said the artworks, whose authenticity is yet to be confirmed, were thought to belong to a U.S. citizen who had lived in the town of Penalva do Castelo and died in 2024. They were found in the possession of the former employee, they added.
The police statement said an investigation was underway, but did not go into further details on any charges.
The raids and searches under "Operation Butler" were carried out in collaboration with experts from the National Museum Machado de Castro, police said.
The artworks were attributed to 27 different artists, from German Renaissance master Albrecht Durer, to Spanish modernists Picasso and Miro, to British Pop Art painter David Hockney. The trove also includes sculptures and other artefacts.
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