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A rare Van Gogh painting has been stolen from a museum that was temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Very early Monday morning, the painting was stolen from the Singer Laran Museum outside of Amsterdam, in Laran, Netherlands. The stolen painting, “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring,” was actually on loan from another museum, the Groninger Museum.
The painting, originally created in 1884 by Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh, depicts a somber scene of a parsonage garden. In the background, a ruined church that appears in many of Van Gogh’s paintings can be seen. A woman in all black looks at the viewer as she walks through the dreary scene.
The art thieves broke into the Singer Laran around 3:15 Monday morning by shattering a glass door. The thieves then nicked the Dutch master’s 1884 painting and made off through the same door. It is unclear how many thieves were involved in the heist, or what their plan with the stolen painting is. However, “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring” has now been added to Interpol’s stolen art database.
While Interpol wishes they had GPS vehicle tracking on the getaway car, it’s unclear what method the thieves even used to approach the museum. Given the current pandemic, however, they were likely opportunistic thieves, not professional burglars.
The Singer Laran has been closed since March 13, complying with Dutch mandates against large gatherings. As the government closed the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Singer Laran also shut down to comply with the guidelines.
The museum’s director, Jan Rudolph de Lorm, released a fiery statement following the heist. “I am shocked and unbelievably pissed off,” de Lorm told reporters during a Monday press conference. “It is very bad for the Groninger Museum. It’s also very bad for Singer.”
“But above all it is horrible for all of us, because art is there to be seen and shared by all of us, for society as a whole, to bring enjoyment, to bring inspiration, and also to bring comfort. Especially in this difficult time,” the director passionately told the gathered journalists.
According to museum staff, the Singer Laran is now cooperating with their insurance agency, as well as Interpol, and working to recover the stolen painting. While police search for the stolen art, it is likely to be sold to a private collection on the underworld art black market.
