A “priceless” Basquiat painting has been stolen and recovered in Spain

[A]n artwork by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat has been stolen and then recovered in Spain. The painting was taken from an unnamed private collector based in Alcuida, Mallorca by a 67-year-old woman who claims the collector owes her 30,000 Euros, considerably less than the value of the painting itself. The painting was discovered in a nearby house, still in its crate and thankfully undamaged.

The untitled work was reportedly bought directly from the artists father and has not been bought or sold since leading police to describe it as “priceless”. According to local news reports, the piece was painted in 1982, the most coveted year for works by Basquiat. His painting from the same year, Untitled, sold for a world record $110.5 million last year.

Some reports, however, are claiming that there could be a further twist in the tale and are describing the artwork as a fake. Editor and art collector Miguel Font told the newspaper Diario de Mallorca that “Basquiat used words in his painting, but there are too many here, he didn’t use that many.”

The Jean-Michel Basquiat estate has not responded to Artnet’s request for comment.