Van Gogh Heist Video Footage Shows Thief Breaking Into Museum During Coronavirus Shutdown

TOPLINE

Footage showing a man who police believe is the thief of a recently-stolen Vincent Van Gogh painting from a Dutch museum was aired on television Tuesday night, with authorities asking museum visitors to share photos and video they took before the museum closed because of the coronavirus in case anyone captured anything suspicious.

KEY FACTS

A Dutch crime television show called “Opsporing Verzocht”—roughly translated to “Investigation Requested” in English—aired footage from the robbery at the Singer Laren Museum in Laren, a town just east of Amsterdam, where Van Gogh’s “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring” was stolen last month while on loan from The Groninger Museum.

The footage reveals that the suspected thief used a sledgehammer to break through at least two glass doors while breaking into the museum, with a police spokesperson saying that the man shown on video appears to have deliberately targeted “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring,” the only piece taken in the raid.

The video appears to show a man arriving to the museum alone on what looks to be a motorcycle, but police have withheld other footage of the heist to protect the investigation and say it’s still unclear if the man acted alone or as part of a larger team.

AP reported that the man exited through the museum gift shop with the painting tucked under his right arm and the sledgehammer in his left hand. 

By Wednesday, authorities said they had received 56 new tips from the public as a result of the footage airing on television the previous night.

Authorities also used the broadcast to ask recent museum visitors to share photos and videos they took at the Singer Laren Museum before it was closed, in case they captured anyone acting suspiciously, like the thieves scoping out what was to become the scene of the crime.

KEY BACKGROUND

“The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring” was stolen March 30—on Van Gogh’s birthday—more than two weeks after the Singer Laren Museum closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The painting appears to have never been officially appraised, but similar early paintings by Van Gogh have gone for tens of millions of dollars. Ivo Bouwman, a dealer who works in The Hague, told The Art Newspaper that he would value the “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring” at around $1.6 million, though art sold on the black market typically does not fetch as high of prices as legal auctions, experts say. Because of the coronavirus-related restrictions on day-to-day travel and border closings, some experts suspect the painting is still in the Netherlands. The Van Gogh heist isn’t the only art theft that’s happened during coronavirus crackdowns in Europe—in mid-March, an estimated $12 million worth of Old Master paintings were stolen from a gallery at Christ Church College, part of the University of Oxford. 

SURPRISING FACT

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring” returning to its rightful place on display—28 reasons, in fact. That’s how many of Van Gogh’s paintings have been stolen in the Netherlands since 1988, but all have been recovered. About half of art pieces stolen from displays in museums are believed to eventually be found.

Anyone with information about the theft should contact the Dutch police

FURTHER READING

Video shows thief stole van Gogh painting with sledgehammer (AP)

CCTV shows moment thief used a sledgehammer to break in to a Dutch museum before fleeing with a £2.6million Van Gogh painting under his arm (Daily Mail)

In recent decades 28 Van Goghs have been stolen in the Netherlands—but all have been recovered (The Art Newspaper)

Van Gogh Painting Stolen From Dutch Museum Closed For Coronavirus Pandemic (Forbes)

Thieves Stole a Vincent Van Gogh Painting Worth Millions Last Week. This Is What Happens Next. (Esquire)

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