BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� More than three years after it was that was shut to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a painting by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh has been recovered, a little worse for wear, the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands said Tuesday.
Van Gogh鈥檚 鈥淭he Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring,鈥� which was painted in 1884, was snatched in an overnight raid in March 2020 from The Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam. It was there on loan from the Groninger Museum.
鈥淭he Groninger Museum is extremely happy and relieved that the work is back,鈥� its director, Andreas Bl眉hm, said in a statement. 鈥淲e are very grateful to everyone who contributed to this good outcome.鈥�
The museum paid tribute to Dutch art for his 鈥渒ey role in this case.鈥�
It declined to provide further details about how it was found. It said 鈥渢he painting has suffered, but is 鈥� at first glance 鈥� still in good condition.鈥� The work will be scientifically examined in coming months. It鈥檚 being kept temporarily at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Its value was not provided. On the rare occasions when Van Gogh鈥檚 paintings come up for sale, they fetch millions at auction. However, an insurance company had paid the Groninger Museum for the loss and is now the formal owner, although the museum says it will exercise its right to first purchase of the work.
It said that it hopes to have 鈥淭he Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring鈥� back on display soon, although this 鈥渃ould take weeks, if not months.鈥�
The 25-by-57-centimeter (10-by-22-inch) oil on paper painting shows a person standing in a garden surrounded by trees, with a church tower in the background.
It dates to a time when van Gogh had moved back to his family in a rural area of the Netherlands and painted the life he saw there, including with his famous work 鈥淭he Potato Eaters,鈥� in mostly somber tones.
Later, he moved to southern France, where he developed a far more colorful, vibrant style of painting as his health declined before his death in 1890.
The Associated Press
