Van Gogh painting stolen in overnight heist at Dutch museum closed for coronavirus

Coronavirus has closed museums around the globe — and created the perfect opportunity for an overnight heist.

Early Monday morning, thieves broke into the Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam and stole the Vincent Van Gogh painting "The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884." Forensic investigators and art theft experts are now studying video footage and questioning people nearby to track the piece down, The Associated Press reports.

Thieves seemingly smashed a glass door to break into the museum. It set off an alarm, but by the time guards arrived, both the painting and the thieves had fled, per a police statement.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

While the Singer Laren is dedicated to the art of American couple William and Anna Singer, it was hosting a special exhibit featuring a variety of artists before it closed over fears of spreading the new coronavirus. The stolen piece was on loan from the Groninger Museum in the northern Netherlands city of Groningen, and its value has not yet been revealed.

"I'm shocked and unbelievably annoyed that this has happened, Singer Laren museum director Jan Rudolph de Lorm told AP. "It is very bad for the Groninger Museum, it is very bad for the Singer, but it is terrible for us all because art exists to be seen and shared by us, the community, to enjoy to draw inspiration from and to draw comfort from, especially in these difficult times."