November 1st 2024.
Early on Friday morning, a daring heist took place at MPV Gallery in Oisterwijk, a town in the southern Netherlands. Thieves used explosives to blow open the door of the gallery, causing significant damage to the building and nearby stores. According to gallery owner Mark Peet Visser, the entire incident was caught on security cameras.
The target of the heist? A series of famous screen prints by American pop artist Andy Warhol. Specifically, the thieves were after four works from his 1985 series called Reigning Queens. These prints feature portraits of the queens of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Swaziland (now known as Eswatini), and are highly sought after in the art world.
Visser described the thieves' attempts as "amateurish," despite the initial success of their bomb attack. In their haste to flee the scene with the stolen artworks, they ended up damaging two of the prints beyond repair. It seems that the thieves had not planned their escape route very well, as they were unable to fit the artworks into their car. In a desperate attempt to make off with their loot, they resorted to ripping the prints out of their frames, causing irreparable damage.
Unfortunately, this means that Visser will no longer be able to offer the four works as a set at an upcoming art fair in Amsterdam. He declined to disclose the value of the prints, but it is safe to say that they are worth a significant amount. The thieves were only successful in stealing two of the prints - those of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The other two prints, featuring Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Ntombi Tfwala (now known as the queen mother of Eswatini), were left behind on the street as the thieves made their escape.
As news of the heist spread, police appealed for witnesses to come forward. Forensic experts were also brought in to examine the damaged gallery. Despite the setbacks, Visser remains hopeful that the stolen prints will be recovered and justice will be served. As for the damaged prints, he believes they are beyond repair and will likely never be seen again. A sad end to what could have been a lucrative sale at the art fair.
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