Stolen Van Gogh’s, after 14 years, and rightly so Telegraaf.nl

The stolen paintings were recovered during a large-scale, ongoing research commissioned by the Italian Public Ministry, carried out by a specialist team of the Guardia di Finanza, the team that is investigating organized crime.

The paintings are found in a nondescript, anonymous storage space in Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples, in possession of a mob boss of an international drugsbende. It knew for years that a criminal clan of the Neapolitan camorra is behind the theft was. The problem was to find out where the paintings were hidden and searched for had to be.

,,They are right!", says Axel Rüger, director of the van Gogh Museum. ,,That I ever yet could say, since I didn’t dare to hope." The director, who is in Naples, dared after so many years not to count on a possible return. He assumes that he can count on , the unconditional support" of the Italian authorities for the return of the paintings. View of the sea at Scheveningen is the first work of Van Gogh, the other he made for his mother.

According to the curator, who work for the Italian justice examined the the real. They seem to be in 'fairly good condition', even though they are not with their list. When the works come back to Amsterdam is not known yet. The painting seascape at Scheveningen is damaged. In the lower left corner, the paint is broken. The other cloth seems to be intact, apart from some minor damage to the doekranden. A conservator should look at what the exact condition of the work before they can be restored, according to the museum.

When the work back to Amsterdam is not known yet. Before the paintings return to the Netherlands, first the criminal case be treated where they are if proof be presented. The research for this process is, however, not yet been completed.

The paintings were in the early morning of december 7, 2002 stolen from the Amsterdam museum. For theft are two Dutchmen tried, but they have always denied that they had. The paintings had since disappeared. Half a year after the roof of the two canvases praised the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is still a reward of 100,000 euros for the golden tip. The work started on 7 december 2002 stolen. The paintings had at that time a combined value of several million euros. They were not insured because they are in possession of the Empire.

In 1991, twenty paintings were robbed from the Van Gogh Museum, but these were, a few hours after the theft, found in the car of one of the guards.

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