Two Van Goghs stolen

2002-12-07 15:17

Amsterdam - Thieves broke into Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum overnight and stole two paintings by the 19th century Dutch artist, police said on Saturday.

A museum spokesperson said the paintings were taken from the main exhibition hall where scores of Van Gogh's works were on display.

One was the 1882 "View of the Sea at Scheveningen," a small beach scene of a boat setting off into a stormy sea near The Hague. The paint contains grains of sand that were blown up from the beach as Van Gogh worked.

The second was an 1885 picture of the church at Neunen, a village in the south of the Netherlands where Van Gogh's father had been the pastor.

The value of the paintings was not immediately known, but major paintings by Van Gogh always sell for millions of dollars.

The museum, first opened in 1973 near the century-old Rijksmuseum, has the world's largest collection of works by the Dutch painter and also houses the work of other leading 19th century impressionists.

Police found a broken window one story above street level, and a 4.5m ladder leaning against the rear of the building. Forensics officers were seen carrying away bits of glass from the window and a blanket or large cloth that may have been used by the thieves.

The break-in was discovered early on Saturday, two hours before the museum was due to open to the public.

It was the second high-profile heist in the Netherlands in a week. On Monday, thieves raided a diamond exhibition at the Museon in The Hague, south of Amsterdam. Museum officials said millions of dollars worth of gems were taken. - Sapa-AP

- SAPA