In the Netherlands, thieves used heavy explosives to break into an art gallery and steal two works by a famous American artist Andy Warhol. They left two others damaged in the street as they fled.
The robbery took place at Galerie MPV in Oisterwijk, where four prints were on display Queen Elizabeth II of the United KingdomQueen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Margaret II of Denmarkand Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Eswatini. The thieves made off with portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Margrethe, while the prints of Queen Beatrix and Queen Ntombi Tfwala were damaged and left on the street.
“The bombing was so violent that my entire building was destroyed,” Mark Peet Visser, owner of MVP Gallery, told the newspaper Associated presscalling the thieves ‘amateurish’. (The destruction can be viewed here.) He continued: “Then they ran to the car with the works of art and it turns out that they do not fit in the car. … At that moment the works are torn from the frames and you also know that they are damaged beyond repair, because it is impossible to get them to get it out undamaged.” The AP considered it a “robbery gone wrong”.
Visser planned to make an offer the set of four prints for sale later this month. It will be difficult for the thieves to sell the stolen works, according to art historian Willem Baars. Because each print is numbered, they are immediately recognizable as the print stolen from MPV Gallery. Plus Bass adds“If there is even a tear in the paper, they are destroyed and worthless. They are extremely vulnerable.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she reports on entertainment, celebrities, the royals and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was deputy editor-in-chief at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.