Painting "Lentetuin" or "Spring Garden" by Vincent van Gogh is seen in this handout picture released by the Singer Laren Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands on March 30, 2020.
The security footage shows a thief smashed the doors of Singer Laren museum using a sledgehammer to steal a Vincent van Gogh painting worth £2.6 million or $2.8 million. The museum is currently shut down due to coronavirus pandemic.
The Singer Laren Museum, where the work of art "Spring Garden" by Vincent Van Gogh was stolen, is seen closed to the public because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Laren, Netherlands March 30, 2020.
The footage was aired in a Dutch TV, hoping to catch the burglar who has not been identified yet. Some clips are withheld by the police to protect their probe.
According to the CCTV footage, at 3:15 a.m., Mar. 30, the burglar arrived outside the museum riding a motorcycle alone. In the next clip, he smashed the reinforced glass doors of the Singer Laren museum and gained entry.
The museum, along with the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, was already closed since Mar. 12 after the Dutch government banned events of more than 100 people due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He entered the museum through the gift shop. Then, with a few blows to another glass door, he got entry to the gallery before walking away with the artwork tucked under his arm.
While the burglary had triggered the alarm, the theft had already fled when the police officers arrived.
The artwork entitled "The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884" remains missing as of this time. Its value could be around £2.6 million, as estimated by the Dutch media.
Screenshot of CCTV footage of the Burglary in Singer Laren
Screenshot of CCTV footage Showing Burglar with the Van Gogh
"Approved by security experts"
In a press briefing, Singer Laren's managing director Evert van Os defended the museum's security. 'The burglar broke through some doors and several layers of security that had been approved by security experts,' said Van Os.
He added that the footage is not conclusive of the quality of security at Singer Laren.
The van Gogh painting was only borrowed from the Groninger Museum in Groningen City. While this could be a learning experience, Van Os said his primary concern is to have the painting returned to its owner soon.
Meanwhile, Groninger Museum Director Jan Rudolph de Lorm told Dutch media that he was extremely shocked and angered by the theft. "This is extremely difficult, especially in these times,' he said, adding that the incident was 'the theft of a work that belongs to all of us," de Lorm said.
The painting shows a rectory garden in the town of Nuenen, where van Gogh was living after his father became the pastor of the rural parish in 1884.
A person is seen standing in a garden with trees and a church building in the background.
Plea to the public
The police said they have already received at least 56 new tips from the public since the footage was broadcasted on Dutch TV.
'It looks like they very deliberately targeted this one Van Gogh painting,' police spokeswoman Maren Wonder told the Opsporing Verzocht on Tuesday.
Wonder said they want to hear from potential witnesses who saw the thief arrived at the museum on a motorcycle. She also urges museum visitors to share photos or videos they took in the museum before its closure to see if anyone seemed to be planning the theft.
Before its closure, the museum was holding an exhibition of works by various artists, so numerous visitors flock to the museum.
Meanwhile, police officers are uncertain whether the thief had an accomplice, and they are searching for a white van, which is seen driving past the museum.
As of today, coronavirus has taken away the lives of 4,054 patients, which are among the 34,842 confirmed cases in the country.
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