Vincent Van Gogh’s Painting Stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in Netherlands
A beautiful antique painting by famous painter Vincent Van Gogh has been stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands.
A beautiful antique painting by famous painter Vincent Van Gogh has been stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands.
The thieves smashed open the front glass door of the Singer Laren Museum in Laren at around 3:15 am on Sunday.
The painting named ‘Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring’ is said to be valued at €6m (£5m). The burglary raised an alarm that alerted the security officials however by the time the security personnel came, the paintings and the thieves had fled the scene.
The ‘Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring’ was painted at a time when the painter had moved back to his family in a rural area of the Netherlands. The painting has a dull tone to it and he hasn’t used any vivid colors in the art piece.
A woman in a long black cloak-like dress standing with the church in the background has been captured in this captivating painting. The isolated church is situated amidst a lot of greenery in a garden in this unique piece of work.
Ironically the painting was stolen on the day the painter was born 167 years ago. The piece of art had been on loan from the Groninger Museum.
During a press conference, the museum’s art director Jan Rudolph de Lorm said, “This is exactly what you don’t want as a museum that has a painting on loan.”
“A beautiful and moving painting by one of our greatest painters, stolen from the community … This must come back as soon as possible, so that we can enjoy and be comforted by this beautiful art again.
“Art deserves to be seen and shared by us, the community.”
The painting was part of an exhibition called “Mirror of the soul” where 70 Dutch paintings from the 19th century were exhibited.
Van Gogh’s paintings fetch millions whenever they are auctioned. He’s one of the most influential figures in history’s western art. His works include landscapes, still lifes, portraits, self-portraits and depiction of peasant labourers.
It is said that the impressionist painter developed a more colorful style of painting in the later years of his life while his health was declining. Ironically he was not famous when he was alive. After his death, he remained in the public’s imagination as the “quintessential misunderstood genius.”
The Dutch government closed all museums on March 12 to stop the spread of the virus. Investigations regarding the theft at the Singer Laren Museum is still on. This is not the first theft that had taken place in this museum. In 2007, thieves stole seven major works which include a bronze cast of ‘The Thinker’ by Auguste Rodin.