An enigmatic painting by the American abstract artist Jackson Pollock surfaced in Bulgaria as part of a broad international operation aimed at stopping cultural property trafficking. The work is linked to Nicolae Ceausescu, the former Romanian leader, and has been reported by TASS and Bulgarian National Television through official channels tied to the case.
The painting’s provenance traces back to Ceausescu’s private collection. The Romanian print on the back provided the key clue about its origin, guiding investigators through the tangled path of ownership and transfer that spanned multiple decades and borders.
According to Deputy Prosecutor Sofia Desislava Petrova, the work was reportedly created for the birthday of Hollywood star Lauren Bacall. In 1958, Bacall reportedly sold the painting, after which it traveled from Romania to Greece and finally found its way to Bulgaria, where it became entangled in the ongoing cultural property probe.
The current owner expressed uncertainty about the work’s authenticity, choosing to conceal it behind a cabinet. Experts estimate the painting’s value at around €50 million, underscoring its significance both artistically and financially in the context of art crime investigations.
Paul Jackson Pollock stands as a central figure in abstract expressionism and is credited with pioneering the dynamic, improvisational style often described as action painting. Ceausescu ruled Romania for more than two decades, a period ending with his overthrow in the late 1989 revolution, an event that reshaped the region’s political landscape and cultural discourse.
Earlier reports noted that law enforcement recovered two stolen drawings attributed to Salvador Dalí, illustrating the breadth of the ongoing efforts to recover looted art and safeguard cultural heritage. The Bulgarian case intersects with ongoing international collaborations aimed at returning masterpieces to rightful owners and ensuring accountability for illicit trafficking networks.