Guggenheim Museum Files Lawsuit to Recover Picasso Painting Stolen Over Six Decades Ago
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has initiated a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court to reclaim Pablo Picasso's painting, "Femme dans un fauteuil" (Woman in an armchair), which was stolen in 1961. The oil-on-canvas artwork vanished while on loan to the University of Pittsburgh. The painting resurfaced in 2023 when a researcher at Christie's auction house identified it during an evaluation for a potential private sale by its current owners, Lawrence Jay Handler and Wendy Cohen Handler. The Guggenheim was notified of the discovery and formally demanded the painting's return, but the Handlers refused. The museum is now seeking the painting's recovery along with $3.5 million in damages. The painting, originally purchased by Solomon R. Guggenheim in 1936, was reported stolen from the University of Pittsburgh's Student Union building on February 6, 1961. Despite a police and FBI investigation and a $100 reward, the artwork remained missing for 62 years. 
