Missing Picasso painting spotted at home of former Philippines first lady

A missing Pablo Picasso painting was spotted at the home of former First Lady of Philippines, Imelda Marcos. She is the widow of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.  

The painting, called Femme Couche VI (Reclining Woman VI) was seen above the sofa Imelda was sitting on in her apartment. However, it’s unclear if the painting is the original or a replica.

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The painting could fetch up to eight billion pesos if sold, a former Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG) chief Andy Bautista said. It comes after her son Ferdinand Marcos Junior won the Philippines presidential election a few days ago.

The painting depicts a woman lounging on a couch with a hand on her forehead.  It appeared in a 2019 documentary about the Marcos family - The Kingmaker - before it went missing as the task force hunted for it, said former PCGG chairman Andy Bautista.

According to Bautista, who was PCGG chairman from 2010 to 2015, over 300 pieces of art by masters such as Picasso and Michelangelo were purchased by the Marcoses with stolen funds. 

The recent incident has triggered a flurry of speculation with concerns that Marcos's flamboyant wife Imelda, and their cronies are estimated to have stolen as much as $10 billion from state coffers during his 20-year rule. 

Activists fear that nearly 40 years after the Philippines began hunting for the billions of dollars plundered during the former dictator's regime, his son will use his power to recover the ill-gotten wealth.

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