PENOBSCOT BAY — Many of those enjoying the beautiful August weather on Penobscot Bay over the weekend were treated to an unusual sight: the elegant 65-meter sailing yacht Adix, which, since 2015, been in the background of an ongoing international controversy involving an early painting by Pablo Picasso. 

The three-masted sailing yacht was built in 1984 and originally called Jessica. She was purchased in 1989 and reportedly belongs to the Euro Shipping Charter Company, which is owned by Spanish billionaire Jaime Botín, 81. Botín’s family founded Santander Bank and he served as chairman until 2004, according to Wikipedia.

In September 2017, Forbes reported that Botin would stand trial in Spain after Adix was boarded in 2015 in Corsica, where Picasso’s Head of a Young Woman was seized by Spanish cultural authorities. According to Forbes, the painting was designated a National and Cultural asset by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 2013, and is thus considered a non-exportable good.

Following the 2015 seizure of the work, it was taken to the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid while its legal status is being resolved. 

Forbes also reported that Botín purchased the painting at London’s Marlborough Fine Art Fair in 1977, and that his brother, Emilio, had been denied permission to remove the work from the country by Spain’s High Court in 2015.

Though a National Public Radio report from 2015 explains that the work is not one of Picasso’s most famous pieces, it was painted in 1906 which is regarded as an important year in the life of the artist. In 2015, NPR reported that Head of a Young Woman was valued at up to $28 million. 

According to a September 2017 report from The Telegraph U.K., prosecutors have asked for a jail sentence of four years to be imposed if Botín is found guilty of smuggling the artwork. Also according to the same report, a judge ordered Mr Botín to pay a liability bond of €133m to cover fines and other costs he may incur. 

In a New York Times report, Botín stated: “This is my painting. This is not a painting of Spain. This is not a national treasure, and I can do what I want with this painting.”

It is unclear who is on board Adix during her current visit to Maine. On Sunday, August 26, the elegant yacht could be seen moored in outer Camden Harbor. 

Reach Jenna Lookner at jlooknercopy@gmail.com