A 136-year-old painting by Vincent Van Gogh was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in the Dutch town of Laren. The museum was shut due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The painting was stolen in a smash-and-grab raid as a white panel was seen covering the smashed door in the building’s glass façade. The smashing of the glass had set off the alarm that had officers rushing to the museum, but the thieves had already fled by the time they got there. The museum houses collection of American artist William Singer and his wife Anna. It was founded in the 1950s.
Museum authorities said that Van Gogh’s painting was on loan from the Groninger Museum. The 10”x22” painting called ‘The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in spring 1884’ is an oil on paper and shows a person standing in a garden surrounded by trees with a church tower in the background.
The painting was done during the time when Van Gogh moved back to his family in the Netherlands. Most of his creations during this time were in sombre tones.
Director of the Singer Laren Museum Jan Rudolph de Lorm told reporters he was “incredibly pissed off” over the theft.
The value of the painting is not currently known.
Jan Rudolph de Lorm said, in an AP report said, “This beautiful and moving painting by one of our greatest artists stolen-removed from the community. He added that art exists to be seen and shared by us, the community, to enjoy, to draw inspiration from and to draw comfort from, especially in these difficult times.
As of Monday, the Dutch health ministry reported 11,750 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country and a total of 864 deaths.
