(Photo: Groninger Museum)
The Singer Lauren museum was robbed of Van Gogh art pieces
At 3:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, thieves stole Vincent Van Gogh’s “Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring” after breaking through the front glass door of the Singer Laren museum in Laren, Netherlands. The famous painting has an estimated value of £5m (over $5 million USD).
Despite the museum being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the burglar alarm was triggered by the break-in. Unfortunately, the thieves fled before police officers arrived. To make matters more ironic, the painting was stolen o the day Van Gogh was born 167 years ago.
Jan Rudolph de Lorm, the museum’s director, held a press conference on YouTube where he said he was “incredibly pissed off” by the loss of the painting. It had been on loan from the Groninger Museum. Rudolph de Lorm went on to say that art deserves to be appreciated and shared by the community and called for the painting to be returned as soon as possible.
We’re so sad that today, on Vincent van Gogh’s birthday, burglars broke into @SingerLaren and stole this work, on loan from @GroningerMuseum. We hope they get caught soon! pic.twitter.com/47WTrzV5An
— Van Gogh Museum (@vangoghmuseum) March 30, 2020
The painting was part of the exhibition “Mirror of the Soul” where a collection of more than 70 Dutch paintings, watercolors, and drawings from the 19th century were on display. However, the museum, as well as its exhibit, had to close on March 12 in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring” is from 1884 and is oil on paper on panel. It depicts a vicarage garden and is said to have been painted between 1883 and 1884 when Van Gogh was with his parents in Nuenen. It is the only painting by Van Gogh in the collection that was on display at the Groninger Museum.
An investigation is currently underway to locate the missing artwork. Art robbery experts from the national criminal investigation department will assist in the investigation.
By: Maytinee Kramer
