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| Italian police find Van Goghs stolen in Amsterdam gallery heist | Italian police find Van Goghs stolen in Amsterdam gallery heist |
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| Two Vincent van Gogh paintings that were stolen from a museum in Amsterdam more than a decade ago have been recovered by Italian authorities in Naples following a sting operation that targeted organised crime. | Two Vincent van Gogh paintings that were stolen from a museum in Amsterdam more than a decade ago have been recovered by Italian authorities in Naples following a sting operation that targeted organised crime. |
| The paintings, which were identified in the Italian press as View of the Sea at Scheveningen, painted in 1882, and the Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, painted in 1884, were recently discovered after allegedly being hidden away in one of the houses of an international drug trafficker based in Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples. | |
| “When we finally found them, we did not believe our eyes,” an unnamed local official told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. | “When we finally found them, we did not believe our eyes,” an unnamed local official told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. |
| According to press reports, the authenticity of the paintings has already been confirmed by an expert from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, from where they were stolen in 2002. | |
| The theft was considered one of the most infamous heists to rock the art world in recent times. The thieves entered the Van Gogh museum from the roof of the building, according to an account of the raid on the Artnet website. By entering from the roof, the thieves were able to get past security and cameras undetected, even though their entry did trigger alarms. Two suspects were convicted in 2004 but the location of the paintings had remained a mystery. | The theft was considered one of the most infamous heists to rock the art world in recent times. The thieves entered the Van Gogh museum from the roof of the building, according to an account of the raid on the Artnet website. By entering from the roof, the thieves were able to get past security and cameras undetected, even though their entry did trigger alarms. Two suspects were convicted in 2004 but the location of the paintings had remained a mystery. |
| The FBI considered the heist one of the “top 10” art crimes, according to its website. The bureau valued the paintings at $30m. | The FBI considered the heist one of the “top 10” art crimes, according to its website. The bureau valued the paintings at $30m. |
| View of the Sea at Scheveningen is one of Van Gogh’s early paintings and depicts the beach resort close to The Hague. The Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen depicted the church where Van Gogh’s father was a pastor. | View of the Sea at Scheveningen is one of Van Gogh’s early paintings and depicts the beach resort close to The Hague. The Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen depicted the church where Van Gogh’s father was a pastor. |
| The Italian financial police have not yet officially announced the news, but said they would hold a press conference on Friday to unveil the results of a seizure of assets from several dozen associates of the Camorra, the Neapolitan criminal syndicate, including “two paintings of priceless value” that were stolen from a world-renowned museum. | The Italian financial police have not yet officially announced the news, but said they would hold a press conference on Friday to unveil the results of a seizure of assets from several dozen associates of the Camorra, the Neapolitan criminal syndicate, including “two paintings of priceless value” that were stolen from a world-renowned museum. |
| Dario Franceschini, the Italian culture minister, said the discovery was extraordinary. “The result of this investigation confirms how interested criminal organisations are in art works which they use both as a form of investment and as a source of funds,” he said in a statement. | Dario Franceschini, the Italian culture minister, said the discovery was extraordinary. “The result of this investigation confirms how interested criminal organisations are in art works which they use both as a form of investment and as a source of funds,” he said in a statement. |