This morning, thieves used explosives to force open the door of an art gallery in the southern Netherlands, making off with two pieces from a renowned series of screen prints by American pop artist Andy Warhol. In their hasty escape, they left two additional works severely damaged on the street. Gallery owner Mark Peet Visser revealed that the thieves had attempted to steal all four works from Warhol's 1985 series, 'Reigning Queens,' which showcases portraits of the then-queens of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Swaziland.
Visser described the early Friday heist at MPV Gallery in Oisterwijk as 'amateurish,' noting that it was captured on security cameras. 'The bomb attack was so violent that my entire building was destroyed,' he said, adding that neighboring stores were also damaged. 'They did that part well—too well, actually. Then they tried to fit the artworks into their car, but they wouldn't fit. In their desperation, the works were torn from their frames, resulting in irreparable damage.'
Visser declined to estimate the value of the four signed and numbered works, which he had intended to sell as a set at an art fair in Amsterdam later this month. Last month, it was announced that the Het Loo Palace Museum in the Netherlands would host an exhibition of Warhol's 'Reigning Queens' series, featuring 16 rare screen prints of the four monarchs: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Beatrix, Queen Margrethe II, and Queen Ntombi Tfwala. The exhibition was billed as the last chance to view the iconic series for at least five years, as the collection was scheduled to be stored away in 2025 due to the fragility of the material.
The thieves managed to steal portraits of Elizabeth II and Margrethe II. Police are now appealing for witnesses as forensic experts examine the heavily damaged gallery.
Source link: https://www.euronews.com
