# Paintings stolen from Dutch museum may have been burned. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895 "2013-07-18T23:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/1 "2013-07-18T23:59:15Z")
All of humanity loses out because of one greedy sod and his mother. I really like impressionists like Matisse and Monet. > **[Paintings stolen from Dutch museum may have been burned](https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/07/18/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/)** > > Bucharest, Romania — A Romanian museum official says ash found in the stove of a woman whose son is charged with stealing seven multimillion-dollar paintings from a Dutch museum — inclu… > **[Stolen paintings 'burned' in oven by suspect's mother](https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/stolen-paintings-burned-in-oven-by-suspects-mother-20130718-2q5fh.html)** > > Ash from the oven of a woman whose son is charged with stealing seven multimillion-dollar paintings — including a Matisse, a Picasso and a Monet — contains paint, canvas and nails, a Romanian museum official said on Wednesday. The innocent victims of this crime. The monetary value isn’t that important. It’s the creative work that can never be replaced. > [@](#): > > ``` > Pablo Picasso's 1971 Harlequin Head > Claude Monet's 1901 Waterloo Bridge, London (above) and Charing Cross Bridge, London > Henri Matisse's 1919 Reading Girl in White and Yellow > Paul Gauguin's 1898 Girl in Front of Open Window > Meye de Haan's Self-Portrait from around 1890 > Lucien Freud's 2002 Woman with Eyes Closed > > ``` > [@](#): > > Bucharest, Romania — A Romanian museum official says ash found in the stove of a woman whose son is charged with stealing seven multimillion-dollar paintings from a Dutch museum — including a Matisse, a Picasso and a Monet — contains paint, canvas and nails. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/2 "2013-07-19T00:23:00Z")
This is why I can never be totally against capital punishment. ---
**Author:** ![OtisCampbellWasRight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@OtisCampbellWasRight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtisCampbellWasRight)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/3 "2013-07-19T11:46:22Z")
It is a sad commentary on the human condition when people think this is even remotely acceptable behavior. Priceless, irreplaceable works of art are forever lost because of the selfish and just plain stupid acts of one dumbass. This has not been a good week for humanity, on so many levels. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/4 "2013-07-19T12:42:25Z")
It breaks my heart; so pointlessly stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/5 "2013-07-19T12:49:04Z")
You’re blowing this out of proportion. Yes, they’re scum, both for stealing the art in the first place and for destroying it to cover their trail, but the way you’re going on about “human guilt” is an absurd overreaction. This is the action of a mere handful of people, and the loss was only a few very nice paintings from artists who were not alive to see this happen. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/6 "2013-07-19T13:02:20Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > You’re blowing this out of proportion. Yes, they’re scum, both for stealing the art in the first place and for destroying it to cover their trail, but the way you’re going on about “human guilt” is an absurd overreaction. This is the action of a mere handful of people, and the loss was only a few very nice paintings from artists who were not alive to see this happen. I’m not sure what to say - I am not pulling my hair out or anything, but the destruction of beautiful, historic and culturally-significant art due to the act of a mere handful of people points out how fragile these things can be. The story illustrates how a banal human can step on beauty due to indifference, greed, stupid desperation, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/7 "2013-07-19T13:36:46Z")
Sorry, I was responding to **OtisCampbell** and his comments about humanity and the human condition, not you. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/8 "2013-07-19T13:44:36Z")
Sorta relevant-the paintings stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum (Boston), have never been found. I read a few years ago that the gang who pulled off the robbery are all dead, and it is likely that the paintings had been stored under poor conditions, such that they are probably worthless now. (Myles Conner, a local Boston criminal, told police that they were stored in the attic of an old house in Dorchester, MA. The Rembrandt taken (“Storm on the Sea of Galilee”) may well have rotted away. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/9 "2013-07-19T14:06:50Z")
I hope the Dutch paintings at least had digital backups. These days every museum painting should be archived in the highest pixel resolution. So at least the composition won’t be lost. You still can’t see the texture of the old masters that layered the paint on thick. But a hi res digital photo can preserve a lot of detail. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/10 "2013-07-19T14:31:04Z")
That’s sad and stupid. So much for the sauve, daring art thieves. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/11 "2013-07-19T14:50:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s sad and stupid. So much for the sauve, daring art thieves. They didn’t get rico. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/12 "2013-07-19T15:02:55Z")
Ugh. This is awful. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/13 "2013-07-19T15:05:57Z")
I feel bad over having an emotional reaction to the destruction of artwork. Especially when the Taliban destroyed the stone Buddha statues. Why didn’t I care more about the people they were oppressing? But nonetheless I couldn’t help but feel sheer anger at the senseless destruction of centuries old works of art. ---
**Author:** ![ruh-roh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ruh-roh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruh-roh)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/14 "2013-07-19T15:49:28Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I hope the Dutch paintings at least had digital backups. These days every museum painting should be archived in the highest pixel resolution. So at least the composition won’t be lost. Not to worry… The NSA surely has copies in at least one of their databases. 🙂 And not that it makes it any less of a loss, but to put things in perspective take a look at > **[Lost artworks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_artworks)** > > Lost artworks are original pieces of art that credible sources or material evidence indicate once existed but that cannot be accounted for in museums or private collections, as well as works known to have been destroyed deliberately or accidentally or neglected through ignorance and lack of connoisseurship. > The Art Loss Register is a commercial computerized international database which captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables. It is operated by a commercial compa... and > **[List of book-burning incidents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_book-burning_incidents)** > > Notable book burnings – the public burning of books for ideological reasons – have taken place throughout history. > About 600 BC, Jeremiah of Anathoth wrote that the King of Babylon would destroy the land of Judah. As recounted in Jeremiah 36, Jeremiah's scroll was read before Jehoiakim, King of Judah, in the presence of important officials; King Jehoiakim destroyed the scroll in a fire, and then sought to have Jeremiah arrested. > The Classical Greek philosopher Protagoras (c. 490 – c. 420 BC)... And so much of it done not out of greed, but in the name of “correct thinking”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/15 "2013-07-19T15:56:08Z")
The Dali sketch of Christ on the Cross that was donated to Rikers Island jail in 1965 and was stolen in 2003 was destroyed by the thieves in an attempt to conceal the crime. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/16 "2013-07-19T15:56:53Z")
One of my favorite Van Gogh stories was a painting they found in the 70’s or 80’s. I think it was found in a barn and had arrow holes in it. Kids had been using it for target practice. Supposedly Van Gogh used to pay bar bills with his paintings. They seem to find one in a barn or attic every once in awhile. It’s important to remember these paintings weren’t irreplaceable million dollar objects to the men that painted them. Sometimes they just painted over work they didn’t like and reused the canvas. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/17 "2013-07-19T20:04:03Z")
As my mother would say: THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/18 "2013-07-19T20:15:58Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but I (not-so-)secretly admire art thieves for having the balls and skills to pull a heist off in the first place. Same with diamonds and other really expensive stuff. Of course, it’s a lot cooler if they eventually give it back. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/19 "2013-07-19T21:02:37Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I feel bad over having an emotional reaction to the destruction of artwork. Especially when the Taliban destroyed the stone Buddha statues. Why didn’t I care more about the people they were oppressing? But nonetheless I couldn’t help but feel sheer anger at the senseless destruction of centuries old works of art. Here’s one way to look at it: at the time the story of that destruction came out, I posted a picture of the statues with the caption… "We are merely passing through history, Dr. Jones. This… _is_ history. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895/20 "2013-07-19T21:30:08Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I feel bad over having an emotional reaction to the destruction of artwork. Especially when the Taliban destroyed the stone Buddha statues. Why didn’t I care more about the people they were oppressing? But nonetheless I couldn’t help but feel sheer anger at the senseless destruction of centuries old works of art. You probably already knew the Taliban treated everybody like shit. Destroying art like that was scary in a different way: it was an attempt to say to their captives that they weren’t allowed to know anything the Taliban didn’t want them to know about, and since the statutes were world famous, they were making the same statement to the entire world. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paintings-stolen-from-dutch-museum-may-have-been-burned/663895.md?page=2)