When Vincent Van Gogh visited his parents in 1884, he painted The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring. It was one of his earliest paintings, and is estimated to be worth several million dollars. In March 2020, the painting was on loan to the Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands, which was closed due to Covid-19. On the night of March 30, a thief smashed through the doors and grabbed the painting.
Renowned art investigator Arthur Brand was on the case in no time. Soon, the thief, and the fence, and quite a few others involved in the case were found and tried. But the painting was nowhere to be found. It was like a hot potato- it couldn't be sold or displayed without bringing attention to the crime. But Brand stayed on the case, hoping to track down the painting. His efforts paid off Monday, when a connection he had cultivated delivered the Van Gogh painting to his apartment in Amsterdam. Three-and-a-half years into the case, the irreplaceable artwork is safe. Brand is convinced that the man who delivered it was not involved in the theft.
The painting has been authenticated, and is now at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam undergoing analysis and restoration. Read the story of Brand's investigation and recovery of The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring at the Guardian. -via Damn Interesting
(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
