A timeless painting by the legendry Van Gogh was stolen from a Dutch museum that is right now, closed due to Covid-19. The painting is said to be 136 years old.
Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh, whose 167th birth anniversary was commemorated on March 30, 2020 at the Van Gogh Museum, was world famous for his depiction of landscapes. These were mostly centred around flowers, Cypress trees, orchards and gardens. In all, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings. He is known to have laid the foundation of modern art through his works.
The stolen painting, called ‘Lentetuin or Spring Garden’, was an 1884 painting showing the spring garden of the rectory at Neunen. It is believed to have been stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands overnight. At present, the museum is closed to public because of the coronavirus outbreak. The painting was on a loan from the Groninger Museum.
The dimensions of the painting are 25-by-57-centimeter (10-by-22-inch) oil on paper painting and it shows a person standing in a garden surrounded by trees with a church tower in the background.
After the theft came to the limelight, all that could be seen from the outside of the museum was a large white panel covering a smashed door in the building’s glass facade.
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Police are investigating the theft. Singer Laren museum director, Jan Rudolph de Lorm, said, “I’m shocked and unbelievably annoyed that this has happened.”
“This beautiful and moving painting by one of our greatest artists stolen – removed from the community,” he added. “It is very bad for the Groninger Museum, it is very bad for the Singer, but it is terrible for us all because 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.”
Police said in a statement that the thief or thieves smashed a glass door to get into the museum. That set off an alarm that sent officers rushing to the museum but by the time they got there the painting and whoever stole it were gone.
The Dutch government on March 12 banned large crowds among its measures to halt the spread of the covid-19, leading to several museums closing down temporarily too.
In the past too, some high-profile thefts from this museum have left the country shocked. In 2007, thieves stole seven works from its sculpture garden, including a bronze cast of ‘The Thinker’ by Auguste Rodin. The famous sculpture was recovered a few days later but with a missing leg.