NOS / ANPWell-known art robberies in the Netherlands
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 22:45
Art thefts, such as the one this morning in Oisterwijk, are not an unknown phenomenon in the art country of the Netherlands. These were some high-profile thefts from recent decades:
1991: ‘Extremely clumsy’ gang steals twenty works from the Van Gogh Museum
In the spring of 1991, a man was locked up in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The alarm goes off around 3am. The man holds a guard at gunpoint and forces him to turn off the alarm system. After this, he lets an accomplice in and they go on a raid through the building together.
The gang loots a total of twenty works with a combined value of almost a billion guilders. They leave in the security guard’s car to Amsterdam Amstel station, where someone would come to pick up the works of art. Once there, it turns out that the person is no longer there.
ANPEA poster at the entrance of the Van Gogh Museum draws visitors to the attention of the art theft
Not much later, officers find all the works in a stolen car. A large part is in fairly good condition, but a number of works are damaged.
The theft has been called the largest art theft since the Second World War and attracted international attention. The Amsterdam police commissioner calls the robbery the next day “extremely clumsy”.
Four men, including a former museum guard, are arrested a few months later. Ultimately, they receive prison sentences of six to seven years. One of the robbers, Roy Peters, says in 2021 in return for the regional broadcaster NH said that in retrospect he is happy that the works were recovered so quickly.
2002: Professional burglars break a window at the Van Gogh Museum
In the early morning of Saturday, December 7, 2002, it happened again at the Van Gogh. Amsterdam professional burglar Octave ‘Okkie’ Durham climbs to the roof via a ladder. Together with a companion, he breaks a poorly secured window and goes inside.
In the end they walk away with two works: Seascape near Scheveningen from 1882 and Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen from 1884-1885. Later, Durham says in an interview that they were actually looking for the The Potato Eatersone of Van Gogh’s best-known works.
A year later, the two robbers are tracked down and convicted, but no trace of the paintings can be found. In 2016, fourteen years after the robbery, they were found in Naples. The paintings ended up with the Italian mafia.
In 2017, the NOS spoke with Durham, who told his story in detail:
How were the Van Goghs stolen in 2002?
2005: ‘Beastly’ burglary at the Westfries Museum
In the night of January 9 to 10, 2005, thieves punched a hole in the basement wall of the Westfries Museum in the center of Hoorn. They disable the security system and grab almost everything they can: 24 paintings (all from the 17th and 18th centuries), seventy pieces of silverware and a lot of porcelain.
“They attacked like animals,” said the museum’s director after the robbery. There is glass and debris everywhere in the museum. The damage to the regional museum is enormous: the works are worth approximately 10 million euros at that time and almost nothing is insured.
For example, the NOS Journaal reported on the art theft in 2005:
Reporter Pauline Broekema was in the Westfries Museum shortly after the art theft
In 2014, one of the stolen paintings appeared for the first time on a Ukrainian website. Art theft expert Arthur Brandt then reports that the works are in the hands of a militia in Eastern Ukraine, where war is already raging. According to the director, the museum is a “plaything in an opaque political field of influence, in which there is an internal struggle for power”.
In April 2016, the Ukrainian police recovered four pieces during a ‘secret operation’. A fifth painting is delivered to the Dutch embassy in Kyiv. After a long diplomatic tug-of-war, the director of the Westfries Museum collected the works in Ukraine in September of that year.
In May of this year there is again good news for the museum. One of the works is recovered during a raid on an apartment in the Polish city of Krakow. It’s about the painting Rebecca and Eliezer by the Hoorn painter Jan Linsen.
2012: Robbery of millions via an emergency exit in Rotterdam
In the night of October 15 to 16, 2012, a group of thieves from Romania broke open an emergency exit of the De Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam. The exhibition is currently on the ground floor of the building Avant-gardes, because of the museum’s 20th anniversary. There is no security guard present; the Kunsthal is monitored remotely.
The thieves make off with seven very expensive works. These include paintings by Monet, Picasso, Freud, Matisse, Gauguin and Meijer de Haan. The alarm goes off, but when the security guards arrive they only see the empty spaces on the walls where the works of art were hanging moments before.
ANPEA white spot marks the spot where one of the stolen paintings hung
The art robbers appear to have struck within minutes. Security footage shows them leisurely leaving the building. The museum director calls it “a nightmare” that morning.
When the men try to sell the works of art to a dealer in Romania, the police track them down. Ultimately, six people are convicted for the art theft. The works remain without trace.
2022: ‘Peaky Blinders’ rob display case at art fair in Maastricht
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, four men will walk into the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht around noon. They are neatly dressed, with jackets and flat caps. They strike at the stand of the London jeweler Symbolic & Chase. The display case is smashed and looted with demolition hammers.
While the men with weapons keep fair visitors at a distance, the four ‘Peaky Blinders’ (based on the British drama series about a gang from Birmingham) leave the fair with tens of millions in jewels in their pockets. The robbers then flee in rental cars, which are parked a few hundred meters from the exhibition building.
It is unknown where the perpetrators are now. According to the police, they probably come from the Balkans and may be staying in the Belgrade area.
This year, the police report that they have taken “major steps” in the investigation. For example, two diamonds from one of the stolen pieces of jewelry were recovered: one in Israel, the other in Hong Kong.
This is how the thieves struck at the time:
In pictures: robbers smash a display case at the Maastricht art fair
Oh, Dutch Art Robberies—A Comedy of Errors!
Welcome to the Netherlands, where tulips bloom, canals flow, and art thieves redefine what it means to go ‘van Gogh-ing’! If you thought art was just about appreciation, think again—these heists are masterpieces in slapstick. Let’s dive into some of the most notorious art robberies in the land of windmills and wooden shoes.
1991: ‘Extremely Clumsy’ Gang Hits the Van Gogh Museum
Picture this: Spring 1991, Amsterdam, and a man finds himself locked inside the Van Gogh Museum, probably contemplating life choices involving art appreciation. But wait! It gets better. He pulls a gun on a guard and—surprise!—the alarm blares. So what does he do? Forces the poor guard to disable the alarm. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work in a museum teeming with priceless art while off-sourced to a not-so-artful ‘assistant’?
This duo nabs twenty pieces valued at almost a billion guilders—worth more than most small countries! They make their escape in the security guard’s car to Amsterdam Amstel station, only to find their getaway driver went MIA. Classic! They might as well have posted an ad on Craigslist: “Art for Sale, No Returns, Winner Takes All!” Eventually, the police find the artwork in a stolen car, much to the embarrassment of everyone involved. The cops dubbed it “extremely clumsy,” which—let’s be real—was a compliment on their artistic execution of bad planning.
2002: A Window of Opportunity
Fast forward to December 7, 2002—another day, another heist at the Van Gogh Museum. This time, professional burglar Octave ‘Okkie’ Durham, with the agility of a cat on a hot tin roof, climbs to the rooftop and breaks in through a poorly secured window. Apparently, windows can’t even be trusted in Amsterdam.
And what do they steal? A couple of Van Gogh paintings: Seascape near Scheveningen and Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, while secretly wishing to snag The Potato Eaters. You know, priorities! Eventually, these paintings were found years later in Naples, Italy—perfectly safe, except for the little detail that they ended up with the Italian mafia. No pressure or anything!
2005: The ‘Beastly’ Burglary
Enter ‘the hole in the wall’ gang at the Westfries Museum in Hoorn. In January 2005, thieves smashed a hole in the wall like it was a piñata and grabbed 24 paintings plus dozens of silver items. The museum director called it “animalistic.” I mean, come on! The only beasts I want to hear about are on Discovery Channel!
Years later, pieces of the stolen art appeared on a Ukrainian site, with the local militia having a nice little art collection. Fast forward—art diplomacy isn’t just for the movies, guys! After a long saga, some paintings were recovered, proving that art can travel further than the average vacationer.
2012: Thieves Go For the Kill in Rotterdam
Now we’re at Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam, during the dead of night on October 15-16. A group of Romanian thieves promptly break open an exit with zero regard for securing art. Seven precious works, including pieces from Monet and Picasso, vanish faster than you can say “art heist.”
The museum director lamented it was a “nightmare.” No kidding! They strolled out so swiftly, it makes me wonder if they practiced the heist on a day off! Unfortunately for them, they got caught trying to sell the art, because wouldn’t you know it, law enforcement has a pretty good memory for multi-million-euro paintings!
2022: A ‘Peaky Blinders’ Style Heist
Narrate this with an English accent: On June 28, 2022, four sharply dressed blokes hit the Tefaf art fair. They were so dapper, they made the rest of us look like we rolled out of bed! Demolition hammers in hand, they busted into a display case and took off with bling worth tens of millions. What’s more cheeky than robbing an art fair while wearing a flat cap? Probably just about everything!
To this day, no one knows where these ‘Peaky Blinders’ are hiding, but if they try to sell those jewels in a pub, well let’s just say there’s probably a hefty bounty on their heads.
In conclusion, if you’re thinking of pulling an art heist in the Netherlands, you’d best step up your game. Failure to plan will get you called “extremely clumsy,” while making the headlines for the art and not in the way you hoped!
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 22:45
Art thefts, such as the one this morning in Oisterwijk, highlight the ongoing challenges faced in the culturally rich landscape of the Netherlands. Here are some notorious art thefts from recent decades that have engaged both the public and authorities:
1991: ‘Extremely clumsy’ gang steals twenty works from the Van Gogh Museum
In the spring of 1991, a brazen robbery took place at the renowned Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. During the early hours, around 3 AM, an intruder held a security guard at gunpoint, compelling him to disable the museum’s alarm system.
The assailant then allowed an accomplice into the museum, and together they executed a chaotic raid involving twenty works of art valued at nearly a billion guilders. Following the theft, they hastily departed in the security guard’s vehicle, heading towards Amsterdam Amstel station under the belief that a contact would be waiting to collect the stolen masterpieces.
To their dismay, the supposed collector was nowhere to be found, leading to a swift unraveling of their plan. Shortly after, law enforcement discovered all the stolen works hidden inside a stolen car; many pieces remained in relatively good condition, although several were damaged.
This audacious theft has been regarded as the most significant art heist since World War II, captivating the attention of the international media. The Amsterdam police commissioner labeled the operation as “extremely clumsy” following its fallout, which unfolded the next day.
Eventually, four suspects, including a former museum staff member, were apprehended and sentenced to prison for their involvement, receiving terms ranging from six to seven years. In a reflective moment, one of the robbers, Roy Peters, expressed gratitude in 2021 for the rapid recovery of the stolen artworks.
2002: Professional burglars break a window at the Van Gogh Museum
In the early morning hours of December 7, 2002, under the cover of darkness, another incident unfolded at the Van Gogh Museum. Esteemed burglar Octave ‘Okkie’ Durham, known in criminal circles, climbed to the rooftop and executed a break-in through a poorly secured window alongside an accomplice.
Ultimately, they managed to escape with two valuable paintings: Seascape near Scheveningen, created in 1882, and Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, created between 1884-1885. Interestingly, Durham later revealed in an interview that they had initially sought to steal The Potato Eaters, one of Van Gogh’s most celebrated works.
Despite being convicted within a year, the stolen paintings remained missing until 2016, when they were discovered in Naples, having come into the possession of the Italian mafia.
2005: ‘Beastly’ burglary at the Westfries Museum
In the night of January 9 to 10, 2005, another heist rocked the Westfries Museum located in the heart of Hoorn. Thieves bore a hole through the basement wall, disabled the museum’s security system, and embarked on a frenzied theft, pilfering 24 paintings, numerous pieces of silverware, and a trove of porcelain collectibles.
Describing the chaos left behind, the museum’s director stated, “They attacked like animals,” pointing to the scene littered with glass and debris. The estimated damage soared to around 10 million euros, with the museum holding minimal insurance coverage.
In a shocking turn of events, one of the stolen paintings surfaced on a Ukrainian auction site in 2014, with reports indicating they had fallen into the hands of a local militia amid the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
By April 2016, Ukrainian police reclaimed four of the artworks during a covert operation. Additionally, a fifth piece was returned to the Dutch embassy in Kyiv, leading to a prolonged diplomatic negotiation from which the Westfries Museum ultimately reclaimed the recovered items that September.
In May of the same year, the museum celebrated another milestone when a painting titled Rebecca and Eliezer, by the Hoorn artist Jan Linsen, was retrieved following a successful raid of an apartment in Krakow, Poland.
2012: Robbery of millions via an emergency exit in Rotterdam
On the night of October 15 to 16, 2012, a coordinated assault took place at the De Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam, executed by a gang of Romanian thieves. They forcefully opened an emergency exit while the museum housed a significant exhibition, Avant-gardes, celebrating its 20th anniversary, yet lacking onsite security personnel.
In record time, the thieves absconded with seven priceless art pieces by iconic painters such as Monet, Picasso, Freud, Matisse, Gauguin, and Meijer de Haan. When the alarm sounded, responding guards were met with empty walls where exquisite works had once hung moments earlier.
The audacious bandits struck within mere minutes, as evidenced by security footage depicting their calm departure from the scene. The museum director lamented the event as “a nightmare” upon discovering the extent of the heist.
Following an attempt to sell the art pieces to a dealer in Romania, police intervened, leading to the conviction of six individuals involved in the heist, yet the artworks themselves vanished without a trace.
2022: ‘Peaky Blinders’ rob display case at art fair in Maastricht
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, four impeccably dressed men, donning jackets and flat caps akin to the characters from the British television series Peaky Blinders, entered the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht. They targeted the display case of the distinguished London jeweler Symbolic & Chase, employing wrecking hammers to shatter the glass and loot its contents.
Under the threat of weapons, they held visitors at bay as they made off with jewels valued in the tens of millions. They quickly fled the scene in rental cars situated just a short distance from the venue.
The criminals remain elusive, with speculations suggesting they may originate from the Balkans and might currently be hiding in or around Belgrade.
In a recent statement, investigators conveyed that significant progress has been made in tracking down the stolen jewels. Notably, two diamonds belonging to one of the pieces were recovered, one in Israel and the other in Hong Kong.
Te artworks had once been displayed. The audacity of their actions was remarkable, as they exploited a moment of vulnerability to execute the heist flawlessly.
Despite the substantial effort put into the operation, the thieves’ downfall came when they attempted to sell the stolen masterpieces. Law enforcement agencies tracked them down, unmasking their identities and apprehending them. The immense value of the paintings drew significant media attention and the efforts of international authorities to recover the stolen art.
The Kunsthal heist remains a pivotal moment in the history of art thefts in the Netherlands, showcasing both the risks and the thrill of high-stakes crime in the world of art. In a humorous twist, one could say that the only way the perpetrators could have escaped more effectively was if they’d had an actual ‘getaway car’ parked in the museum’s front lobby!
2022: A Dapper Job at Tefaf Art Fair
In June 2022, the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht was the scene of an audacious robbery that seemed straight out of a film. Four impeccably dressed criminals, with meticulous attention to their attire reminiscent of a certain Birmingham gang, stormed in with demolition tools—what a sight! They swiftly dismantled the display cases, making off with valuable jewels and artworks worth tens of millions of euros, leaving other patrons speechless.
While their fashion choices may have won them points for style, their fate remains uncertain. The authorities are hot on their trail, and if they attempt to flaunt their ill-gotten gains in a local watering hole, they might just find themselves in quite the sticky wicket.
it’s clear that anyone contemplating an art heist in the Netherlands must tread carefully. These incidents serve as reminders that the art world is both alluring and perilous, and the thrill of the chase is often followed by a swift resolution. Whether through sheer luck or the tenacity of law enforcement, it turns out that crime doesn’t pay, at least not if you end up on the wrong side of the bars—or worse, in the tabloids as “the world’s most clumsy criminals.” Stay classy, thieves!
