Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring,’ which was recently recovered after it was stolen in 2020.Photo:Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Not only is an IKEA blue bag useful for shopping, but in the case of a Dutch art museum, it’s great for returning stolen artwork.
“The Groninger Museum is extremely happy and relieved that the work is back,” said Andreas Blühm, the museum’s director, in a statement. “It is currently in good company in the Van Gogh Museum. We are very grateful to our colleagues in Amsterdam for their hospitality. On behalf of the all our staff, all Groningen residents and visitors, we are very grateful to everyone who contributed to this good outcome.”
Vincent Van Gogh’s 1884 painting ‘The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring.'.Alamy Stock Photo
In 2021, police apprehended a suspect in the theft who was later convicted, according to the museum. Yet, the painting – which has an estimated worth between $3.2 million and $6.4 million, perABC News—had still not been recovered. And according toThe Washington Post,the artwork had been passed around within the criminal underworld.
That was until Arthur Brand, a Dutch art crimes detective, stepped in to help. He told thePostthat he had received a message from an anonymous person on his WhatsApp. “I discussed it with the Dutch police and it was obvious from the beginning that this person had nothing to do with the theft," he told thePost. “This was a guy who just wanted to hand it over, so we went along with it.”
Shortly after, Brand received the Van Gogh in a blue IKEA bag at his home in Amsterdam from an unidentified man, per ABC News and thePost. Despite having some scratches, the work was in good condition.
Dutch art crimes detective Arthur Brand.ABC News/Youtube
ABC News/Youtube
A video posted on Brand’sInstagramon Sept. 14 showed him taking the painting out of the IKEA bag and its wrapping before displaying the now-recovered artwork in front of the camera.
“Vincent van Gogh is back!,” Brandcaptionedanother Instagram post featuring a clip of him holding the painting. “In close coordination with Dutch Police I was able to recover Van Goghs ‘Spring Garden’ (1884). The painting was stolen 3 years ago on Van Goghs birthday from the Singer Museum in Laren, the Netherlands. A great day for all Van Gogh lovers worldwide…”
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In his interview with thePost, the museum’s director Blühm recalled the moment when he was notified about the painting’s return: “It was an incredibly emotional reunion and truly an amazing day. The painting is an integral part of our collection and of our local cultural heritage, and thinking we could have lost that forever was terrible.”
Blühm also expressed gratitude to Brand in his statement on the museum website: “Arthur Brand played a key role in this case and the museum greatly appreciates that.”
A spokesperson for the Groninger Museum, Karina Smrkovsky, tells PEOPLE, “We hope that the restoration of the painting will go prosperous, so that we can soon show the work to the public in the Groninger Museum in 2024. Unfortunately, we cannot make any statements about the police investigation.”
A spokesperson for the Dutch police’s art crimes unit toldBBC Newsthat the recovered painting is genuine. PEOPLE contacted the Dutch National Police for information, but did not receive an immediate response.
source: people.com
