The discovery on a Seville street

On a Saturday, a Seville family was packing the car for a beach vacation. They had a habit of bringing along a small painting by Joaquín Sorolla, a 1919 oil of two sailboats dedicated "Al amigo Fer." As they loaded the boot, they left the picture leaning against a wall and drove off. Andrés Hurtado, a 57-year-old from Murcia visiting the city, spotted it later that day.

“We picked it up because of the frame, not because of the painting.”

He carried it to his hotel, then home to Murcia in a bag from a Chinese bazaar, still unaware of its value.

The Sorolla surprise

Back home, Hurtado examined the piece and saw the signature. He asked an AI tool, which suggested it could be a valuable Sorolla. He contacted a Madrid auction house that quickly confirmed it was an original, worth up to €150,000. One art-world estimate quoted by EFE put the value at €30,000–60,000, but the higher figure dominated Spanish reports. The painting, though small, is a "nota de color" from the artist's late period.

“The AI came up with some crazy prices, so I looked online and called an auction house.”

The search and the return

The owners had reported the painting missing but described it only as "a painting of great sentimental value," avoiding Sorolla's name to limit attention. They offered a reward. When Hurtado saw news of the alleged theft with a photo, he phoned the police immediately.

“I rang the police straight away and told them the news wasn't true. I told them I hadn't stolen it but just picked it up in the street.”

Police verified his account with security camera footage. On Wednesday, officers collected the work from his home, and by Thursday it was back with the family in Seville, who promised him "a small present." The frame had suffered some damage, but the canvas was in good condition.

The finder's other art

Hurtado, unemployed after working in a supermarket, is also a drag performer under the name Lola Montiel. He impersonates figures like Rocío Jurado and Lola Flores at local festivals and retirement homes. After his sudden media exposure, he hopes to expand his performance bookings. His television appearances have generated viral reactions: viewers joked about the setting of his interviews, noting the painting posed on an ironing board alongside car keys and a fan. One social-media quip called it "a still life that Zurbarán himself couldn't match."

Questions around the heirloom

The painting's provenance raises unanswered questions. The dedication "Al amigo Fer" and date 1919 suggest it was a gift, possibly from Sorolla himself. The current owners implied it was not purchased but inherited. Legal experts note that such a donation would have required tax reporting, though any penalty might have lapsed.

“All gifts are donations, and all donations are taxed. If it wasn't included in an inheritance inventory, no one would know of its existence.”

Authorities have not indicated any further investigation.