On the morning of August 15, tourists and residents of the city of Zaandam near Amsterdam were startled by two gunshots. What happened?
Related: 10 Major Art Thefts
In broad daylight, a painting was stolen from the Zaans Museum. In front of a few passers-by, the thief tried to jump onto a motorcycle with the work of art under his arm, which was being driven by an accomplice. One of the eyewitnesses tried to pull the thief off the vehicle, whereupon the thief dropped the painting and fired a pistol. Nobody was injured and the two thieves left the scene empty-handed. The police were able to secure the motorcycle abandoned near the museum shortly afterwards.
The painting, which escaped theft, is The Voorzaan and the Westerhem by Claude Monet. The French Impressionist stayed in the area from June 4 to October 8, 1871, which delighted him with its houses, mills and boats. In total, Monet made nine sketches and 25 paintings in the four months of his stay in the Zaan region. The Voorzaan and the Westerhem has been owned by the Zaans Museum since 2015. With a purchase price of 1.16 million euros ($1.36 million), it is the highlight of the museum, which is dedicated to the heritage of the region.
Related: The Top 10 Stolen Paintings
Though the suspects are still at large, it seems unlikely that they were seasoned art thieves. Well-known art detective Arthur Brand told NH News shortly after the dramatic events, “They don’t seem like professionals. You cannot leave unseen because there are many tourists and they already have the cameras ready."
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