Man arrested in connection with stolen Van Gogh and Frans Hals works
Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer, by Frans Hals (c.1626)
Police have arrested a 58-year-old man from the town of Baarn, south of Amsterdam, in connection with the theft of paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Frans Hals.
The two masterpieces, worth millions of euros, were stolen last year and have not been seen since.
The Van Gogh was taken from the Singer Laren museum in March, the Frans Hals from the Museum Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden in Leerdam in August.
The arrest, made on Tuesday morning, follows a recent breakthrough in the case, police said, without going into details. Neither painting was recovered at the suspect’s home and the hunt for the missing works of art goes on.
Dutch man arrested in theft of van Gogh, Hals paintings
By (0) Spring Garden by Vincent van Gogh was stolen from the Singer Laren museum on March 30, 2020. File Photo by Marten de Leeuw/EPA-EFE/HANDOUT
The painting Two smiling boys (1626-1627) by Frans Hals was stolen from the Hofje Van Aerden in Leerdam, The Netherlands, on August 27. File Photo by Robin van Lonkhujsen/EPA-EFE
April 6 (UPI) Dutch police announced Tuesday that they arrested a man suspected of stealing two paintings one by Vincent van Gogh and the other by Frans Hals.
Neither painting, stolen in separate museum heists on separate dates, has been recovered.
Suspect Behind Van Gogh, Frans Hals Masterpieces Theft Arrested, Paintings Still Missing
On 4/6/21 at 4:32 PM EDT
A 58-year-old man was arrested in the Netherlands on Tuesday in connection to the thefts of two valuable paintings by artists Vincent van Gogh and Frans Hals, according to Dutch police.
The man s identity has not yet been released and the paintings have not yet been recovered, the Associated Press reported.
According to police spokesperson Maren Wonder, the man was arrested at his home in the Dutch town of Baarn, which is located about 25 miles southeast of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, we haven t yet recovered the paintings and the investigation is continuing, Wonder said in an announcement on Tuesday. However, she called the arrest a really important step in the investigation, the AP reported.