A previously unknown painting by famed American artist Jackson Pollock was discovered in Bulgaria by police investigating international art smugglers, authorities said.
The work could be worth up to 50 million euros ($54 million), Bulgarian National Radio reported, citing experts.
Several people, including Bulgarian citizens, were arrested in the international operation, state news agency BTA reported on Tuesday.
The report did not give a description of the painting or any other details about the work.
Pollock, a major figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s, was known for his technique of pouring, dripping, and dripping paint in wild patterns on large canvases. He died in 1956.
“This is an international operation with the participation of Europol, Greece and other countries,” Petar Todorov, chief secretary of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, was quoted by the Novinite news agency as saying.
«To our great joy, we managed to establish and maintain this painting, and experience now shows that it is an original.»