During the pre-dawn hours on Monday, unidentified thieves made a daring heist at a museum near Amsterdam, stealing a rare and expensive painting by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh. The culprits likely took advantage of the fact that the museum had been closed to the public due to the ongoing viral outbreak.
The painting that was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum was made by Van Gogh in 1884, titled the "Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring." The culprits made their way into the museum by smashing a glass door. The painting is currently valued by appraisers at around $6.6 million.
One of the museum's directors, Jan Rudolph de Lorm, told reporters that they are all shocked by the theft. He explained that art was supposed to be there to be seen and enjoyed for people to be inspired, especially during these troubled times. Coincidentally, the theft of the painting had occurred during what would have been the artist's 167th birthday.
The painting was on loan to the Singer Laren Museum from its current owners, the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands. It was loaned as part of an ongoing exhibition. Van Gogh made the painting earlier in its career, before creating his well-known post-impressionist masterpieces such as "Sunflowers" and his vivid self-portraits.
Due to the imposed social distancing measures by the Dutch government, the Singer Laren Museum had been closed for two weeks before the heist. According to investigators, the criminals broke into the facility at around 3 a.m. Officers immediately responded to the break-in but were too late as the perpetrators had already escaped.
Dutch detective Arthur Brand told reporters that they are currently appealing to the public for possible witnesses. The detective, who is known for having recovered several stolen art pieces including those painted by Adolf Hitler, added that he will be heading the hunt for the art thieves.
Brand pointed out that the thieves only went for the Van Gogh painting and the rest of the artworks in the museum had been left untouched. He theorized that the theft could have been done by copycats as it follows the same modus operandi used by two other recent cases.
Apart from the Van Gogh painting, the Museum housed more than 3,000 other pieces that included works done by Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian and Dutch-Indonesian painter Jan Toorop. In response to questions regarding the museum's security, Brand pointing out that they are still investigating the matter and acknowledged that securing a painting is difficult given how it needs to be displayed for the public to see.
