A museum in Rotterdam is currently investigating how thieves were able to steal paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Claude Monet.
The Kunsthal museum noticed on Tuesday morning that there had been an overnight robbery which also say works by Paul Gauguin, Lucian Freud and Meyer de Haan taken. It is likely that this haul will be valued in the millions and it is one of the art world’s most dramatic acts in years.
Patricia Wessels, a spokeswoman for the museum has revealed that police were alerted during the night when the alarm went off but that the assailants had left the premises by the time they’d arrived. Dutch police believe that it took place at around 3.00 am.
“An initial investigation suggest that the robbery was well prepared,” a police statement read. The museum has now been closed as officers look to scour the property for clues and police are now already reviewing videotape footage and are hoping that any eye witness will now come forward.
The paintings that have reportedly been stolen include Picasso’s Tete d’Arlequin, Matisse’s La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune, Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, London, Monet’s Charing Cross Bridge, London, Gaugin’s Femme Devant une Fenetre Ouverte, Die la Fiance, De Haan’s Autoportrait (circa 1889-91) and Freud’s Woman with Eyes Closed (2002).
The Kunsthal museum, translated as “art gallery” in Dutch, is currently showing the works of over 150 famed artists to celebrate its 20th anniversary and is a space that has no permanent collection of its own and constantly rotates different pieces.
