Andrés Hurtado, a 57-year-old man from Murcia, discovered a small painting by Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla on a street in Seville last Saturday. He took it home, not because of the artwork itself, but because he was attracted to its ornate gold frame. The painting, valued at up to €150,000 (£130,000), had been accidentally left behind by a Seville family who owned it for years and intended to take it on their holiday.
Discovery and mistaken identity
Hurtado, who was visiting Seville with his family, assumed the painting was discarded junk. He later used artificial intelligence to research the picture, which suggested it might be a Sorolla. After consulting an auction house in Madrid, he confirmed it was an original work by the renowned late 19th- and early 20th-century artist, famous for his beach scenes and mastery of light.
Meanwhile, the family had posted notices seeking a painting of “great sentimental value” without mentioning Sorolla or its monetary worth. When Hurtado learned of the theft alert, he immediately contacted police. “I rang the police straight away and told them the news wasn’t true,” he told El Mundo. “I told them I hadn’t stolen it but just picked it up in the street.”
Return and aftermath
Police returned the painting to the family, who promised Hurtado a small gift in thanks. The family had inadvertently left the painting leaning against a wall while packing their car, distracted by traffic. This incident echoes a similar case in October 2023, when a Picasso still life worth €600,000 was recovered after being mistaken for a forgotten delivery and taken in by a neighbor.
