Which Picasso painting was stolen from the National Gallery of Victoria in 1986?
Answer
The Weeping Woman
The Picasso painting stolen from the National Gallery of Victoria in 1986 was The Weeping Woman.
The stolen work was one of Picasso’s 1937 paintings of a weeping woman, a subject closely connected to Guernica and modeled on Dora Maar. The NGV bought this particular version in 1985, reportedly setting a record for an Australian gallery’s art purchase.
The theft occurred in Melbourne on 2 August 1986, but staff did not discover the disappearance until 4 August. A group calling itself the Australian Cultural Terrorists demanded increased arts funding and threatened to destroy the painting. It was recovered undamaged on 19 August in locker 227 at Spencer Street railway station. The thieves were never identified.
A common mix-up is assuming there was only one Weeping Woman. Picasso produced a series; the NGV’s version is distinct from the better-known painting held by Tate Modern.