A Van Gogh painting has been stolen from a Dutch museum during the coronavirus closure. The museum in Laren was raided overnight.
The painting, entitled Spring Garden, AKA Parish garden in Nuenen, Spring dates from 1884 and was on loan to the Singer Laren Museum from the Groninger Museum in Groningen in the north of the Netherlands.
Van Gogh's paintings can be found in various museums in the Netherlands, however, this oil painting on paper panel was the only Vincent Van Gogh painting in the Groninger Museum’s collection.
The thieves gained access to the museum at about 3.15am on Monday morning by forcing their way in the front entrance. Police investigating the heist report that no other paintings were stolen.
The value of the painting is not yet publicly known. However, the most expensive paintings ever sold have been works of art by Picasso, Warhol and Van Gogh, so the value is likely to be extremely high.
There did not seem to have been anything lacking in terms of security procedures. A representative from the Singer Laren Museum said: "We have established that with our insurance experts, but clearly there are lessons for us to learn."
The director of the Singer Laren Museum, Jan Rudolph de Lorm, told reporters he was "shocked and incredibly annoyed" by the theft. "This is dreadful for the Groninger Museum, for Singer Laren and for all of us. Art is there for people to enjoy and be consoled by, especially in these difficult times."