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A - still undefined - Basquiat painting was returned on Saturday to its Parisian home, a few hours after it was reported as stolen in one of the most secure areas of the French capital – close the Elysee Palace and the Ministry of Interior.
French police confirmed to AFP that it abandoned the lead of a potential burglary, saying it had not been stolen. Authorities say the painting's legitimate owner recovered it “after a domestic spat.” According to local media, the painting belonged to a billionaire couple about to divorce, and the husband had put the painting on sale. The wife reported the loss on Friday night, returning to her home after three days of absence.
The investigators did not find any indication of breaking and entering.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent, is a New York painter who became one of most fashionable contemporary artists in the world after his death in 1988 from a drug overdose.
The artist died in 1988 at the age of 27. In 2013 his painting "Dustheads" was sold at a record $48.8 million at auction in New York.
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