Seven years after an undercover sting uncovered a treasure trove of stolen art in the hills above Nice, 10 defendants have appeared in court to face charges over a cache that includes several works by Pablo Picasso, according to artnews.com.
The trial revisits a 2017 operation by the French judicial police, which recovered over 20 stolen artworks. The investigation was triggered by a tip-off that high-value pieces, including at least seven Picassos, were being discreetly offered for sale on the Côte d’Azur.
According to reports from Nice-Matin, investigators posed as a Swiss buyer and an assistant after receiving intelligence from Belgium regarding stolen art circulating in the region. The officers arranged a meeting at a hotel in Nice, where a seller allegedly proposed a multimillion-euro cash deal. This led the undercover team to a villa in the village of Peillon, north of the city.
Inside the property, police discovered a private display of illicit masterpieces. Among the works identified were Picasso’s Le vieux roi and Le clown, alongside sculptures and objects tied to various thefts carried out earlier that year.
Several pieces were traced back to a burglary in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in October 2017 and an armed robbery in Èze the following month. Authorities also seized cash and mobile phones, which they claim link specific works to a broader criminal network.
The defendants are accused of participating in or benefiting from a sophisticated “fencing” operation. Prosecutors argue that the Peillon house served as a primary storage and sales hub for stolen works intended for private channels rather than the public market.
For investigators, the case, for which a verdict is expected on January 19, has provided a rare insight into how stolen masterpieces can remain hidden in plain sight. The court’s decision may finally reveal the full scale of the operation and the route these works took before they were intercepted.
•Featured image: Among the works seized by Nice authorities were Picasso’s “The Clown” and “The Old King”/Police Judiciaire de Nice
