Art thieves steal Van Gogh painting worth £5m from Dutch museum during Covid-19 closure

ART thieves took advantage of the museum closures during Covid-19 to steal a Van Gogh painting estimated to be worth around £5m from the Singer Laren Museum in Amsterdam. The highly prized artwork was stolen during the early hours of yesterday morning. Dutch museums have been closed because of the pandemic since March 12.

According to police, the thieves smashed the glass door to get into the museum, which set off an alarm and alerted the authorities. However, by the time they got there, the thieves had already fled with the painting. Ironically, the artwork was stolen on Van Gogh’s actual birth date, some 167 years ago.

“I am shocked and absolutely livid that this has happened,” said Jan Rudolph de Lorm, Director of the Singer Laren Museum, in a YouTube video statement. “This splendid and moving artwork by one of our great artists has been stolen, taken from the community.”

The stolen painting, Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring, depicts a woman in a garden with sparse red-flowered bushes and the church building in the background. Forensics and art theft experts are now carrying out an investigation to locate the artwork, and catch the thieves.

The painting was actually on loan from the Groninger Museum in the Dutch city of Groningen. The Singer Laren Museum houses the collection of American couple William and Anna Singer.