A Van Gogh painting has been reported missing following an overnight raid on a museum in Amsterdam. The heist happened at the Singer Laren museum early Monday morning.
According to police, the thieves got in by smashing through a glass portion of the wall and quickly taking what they could. An alarm system did go off, however, the assailants and Van Gogh’s masterpiece ‘Spring Garden’ were gone by the time authorities arrived.
Wij zijn diep geschokt, boos en verdrietig. Er is een schilderij van Van Gogh gestolen. Het is vreselijk voor het @groningermuseum, voor Singer, maar vooral voor ons allemaal. Want kunst is om van te genieten, geïnspireerd te raken en getroost te worden, zeker in deze tijden. pic.twitter.com/eJezSTKSQl
— Singer Laren (@SingerLaren) March 30, 2020
The museum director, Evert van Os, said he’s shocked and “unbelievably annoyed” this happened. He also noted that “art exists to be seen and shared.”
“The painting of Van Gogh was stolen…the painting belongs to Groningen Museum..it was temporarily lent to us for the exhibition,” he explained. “We and the Singer institution are shocked and sad.”
Police are investigating the matter and working to determine if any more items were stolen.
