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Picasso painting found in New Jersey back in Paris museum

French Minister of Culture and Communication Fleur Pellerin, left, and Jane D. Hartley, U.S. Ambassador to France, right, pose next to "La Coiffeuse," or The Hairdresser, a $ 15 million Picasso painting, found in New Jersey, during a presentation at Beaubourg Pompidou Center Museum in Paris, France, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. This Picasso artwork, painted in 1911, is going back on display in a Paris Museum after it disappeared from a French storage room more than a decade ago, then turned up in a package from Belgium to New York last year. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
French Minister of Culture and Communication Fleur Pellerin, left, and Jane D. Hartley, U.S. Ambassador to France, right, pose next to "La Coiffeuse," or The Hairdresser, a $ 15 million Picasso painting, found in New Jersey, during a presentation at Beaubourg Pompidou Center Museum in Paris, France, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. This Picasso artwork, painted in 1911, is going back on display in a Paris Museum after it disappeared from a French storage room more than a decade ago, then turned up in a package from Belgium to New York last year. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

By Associated Press 2 min read

PARIS (AP) – A $15 million Pablo Picasso painting is back on display in a Paris museum after a long and unusual journey.

“La Coiffeuse” (“The Hairdresser”) disappeared from a French storage room more than a decade ago, then turned up in a package from Belgium to New York last year – with a customs label calling it a $37 Christmas gift.

Its recovery is an unusual success story. A top French government minister and the U.S. ambassador attended the unveiling Thursday at the abstract painting’s new home at the Pompidou Center museum in Paris.

The investigation into who sent the package and how the painting was stolen is still underway. After the seizure, U.S. authorities said the small artwork, painted in 1911, endured minor damages and need restoring.

“It was such a moment of joy when I was told that this painting was found again,” said Olivier Picasso, a grandson of the painter, calling the discovery important for art history.