Picassos and other Paintings, Stolen!

In an article published by the New York Times, Doreen

Carvajal reported about a heist that happened in

Rotterdam Gallery. This could have been a usual kind

of a burglary: burglars coming in haste, armed with

guns, shocking onlookers and leaving victims

perplexed. But in this particular heist, burglars came in

haste and not just armed with guns, but most

importantly, armed with their impeccable timing and

artistic taste. In the shortest time possible, the burglars

were able to dismantle from the wall artworks of

Picasso entitled Harlequin Head, Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, London, Gauguin’s Girl in Front of

Open Window, Matisse’s Reading Girl in White and Yellow, Meyer de Haan’s self Portrait and

Lucian Frued’s haunting portrait entitled Woman with Eyes Closed.

The Dutch police inspected the premises of the gallery and watched security surveillance tapes to

piece information about the burglary. From what they’ve gathered, the burglary took place

around 3 a.m. The gallery’s security alarm set off signals to the nearest security agency. There

was only approximately a 5-minute delay from the alarm until the time that the police responded,

but by the time police arrived, all the said artworks were already gone.

The stolen artworks were part of the exhibit called Kunsthal. Unfortunately, all these artworks

were only borrowed from a Dutch investor, Willem Cordia, who died in 2011. According to art

theft experts, the heist was obviously premeditated and done by highly professional criminals as

proven by how they selected the art pieces to be stolen. They raised questions about the integrity

of the museum’s security department.

Charley Hill, a retired Scotland Yard art detective had his fair share of opinions about the heist.

According to him, “The volume of the theft suggests that whoever stole it owes somebody a lot

of money and it’s got to be a major league villain. It was carefully thought out, cleverly

conceived, and it was quickly executed, so that suggests professionals. This case is linked to

major crime in Holland, and my best guess is that someone does not have the cash to repay a

loan.”

Surprisingly, this heist was not the only one of its kind. Mr. Hill further commented that this

heist has similar techniques used by a Dublin criminal gang which robbed 18 paintings from

Alfred Beit’s collection at Russborough House in 1986 in Ireland, which became highly popular

because the thieves buried their stolen arts under the ground. Mr. Hill is a private investigator

whose claim to fame was when he went undercover to retrieve Edvard Munch’s The Scream in

1994.

Another historian and expert on plundered art, Marc Masurovsky, said that what was particularly

intriguing about this case was the possibility that the theft was on a contract job, suggesting,

“These works were picked out. Could it be that they had been targeted well before the theft and

the exhibit was the opportunity to strike?”

During a press conference, the museum’s director Emily Ansenk insisted that the museum is

armed with highly advanced surveillance and alarms. She further commented that this heist has

“hit the art world like a bomb” and described it “as a nightmare for any museum director”.

Officials of the Kunsthal exhibit opted to keep the estimated amount of the burglary in strict

confidentiality.

Today, the museum opens again with empty spaces for the stolen masterpieces.

To know more about Protect America visit http://www.consumerchoicesecurity.com/