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A28 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 31 March 2020
Dutch museum says van Gogh painting stolen in overnight raid

By MIKE CORDER Police said in a statement
Associated Press that the thief or thieves
THE HAGUE, Netherlands smashed a glass door to
(AP) — A painting by Dutch get into the museum. That
master Vincent van Gogh set off an alarm that sent
was stolen in an overnight officers rushing to the mu-
smash-and-grab raid on a seum but by the time they
museum that was closed to got there the painting and
prevent the spread of the whoever stole it were gone.
coronavirus, police and the A team including forensics
museum said Monday. and art theft experts was
The Singer Laren museum studying video footage
east of Amsterdam said and questioning neighbors.
that “The Parsonage Gar- Van Os said the museum's
den at Nuenen in Spring security worked “accord-
1884” by the Dutch mas- ing to protocol,” but he
ter was taken in the early added: “Obviously we can
hours of Monday. By early learn from this.”
afternoon, all that could Before the closure, the mu-
be seen from the outside seum was hosting an exhi-
of the museum was a large bition titled “Mirror of the
white panel covering a Soul" with works by artists
door in the building's glass Exterior view of the Singer Museum in Laren, Netherlands, Monday March 30, 2020. Police are ranging from Jan Toorop to
facade. investigating a break-in at a Dutch art museum that is currently closed because of restrictions Piet Mondrian, in coopera-
Museum General Director aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, the museum and police said Monday. (AP Photo/ tion with Amsterdam’s Rijks-
Evert van Os said the insti- Peter Dejong) museum.
tution that houses the col- Associated Press The Singer Laren's collec-
lection of American couple theft. us all because art exists to It dates to a time when the tion has a focus on mod-
William and Anna Singer is “I’m shocked and unbe- be seen and shared by us, artist had moved back to ernism such as neo-impres-
“angry, shocked, sad” at lievably annoyed that this the community, to enjoy to his family in a rural area sionism, pointillism, expres-
the theft. has happened,” said Sing- draw inspiration from and of the Netherlands and sionism and cubism.
The value of the work, er Laren museum director to draw comfort from, es- painted the life he saw It is not the first high profile
which was on loan from Jan Rudolph de Lorm. pecially in these difficult there, including his famous theft from the museum. In
the Groninger Museum in “This beautiful and mov- times.” work “The Potato Eaters,” in 2007, thieves stole seven
the northern Dutch city of ing painting by one of our The 25-by-57-centimeter mostly somber tones. works from its sculpture gar-
Groningen, was not imme- greatest artists stolen - re- (10-by-22-inch) oil on pa- Later, he moved to south- den, including a bronze
diately known. Van Gogh's moved from the commu- per painting shows a per- ern France, where he de- cast of “The Thinker” by
paintings, when they rarely nity," he added. “It is very son standing in a garden veloped a far more color- Auguste Rodin. The famous
come up for sale, fetch mil- bad for the Groninger Mu- surrounded by trees with a ful, vibrant style of painting sculpture was recovered
lions at auction. seum, it is very bad for the church tower in the back- as his health declined be- a few days later, missing a
Police are investigating the Singer, but it is terrible for ground. fore his death in 1890. leg.q

Time to ‘revenge shop’: China’s virus hotspot reopens

By NG HAN GUAN and streets, Customers were still city of Nanjing, Kat was
JOE McDONALD scarce, though, as those among those trapped in
Associated Press who did venture out were Wuhan when the central
WUHAN, China (AP) — The greeted by shop employ- Chinese manufacturing
city at the center of China's ees who wore masks and hub was shut down as the
virus outbreak was reopen- carried signs that told them virus spread.
ing for business Monday to “keep a safe distance.” While governments world-
after authorities lifted more Among them was this wide were tightening travel
of the controls that locked teacher, who was visiting and other controls, the rul-
downs tens of millions of her family when most ac- ing Communist Party has
people for two months. “I cess to the city of 11 mil- rolled back curbs on Wu-
want to revenge shop,” lion was suspended Jan. han and other areas as it
one excited customer de- 23 to stem the coronavirus tries to revive the world's
clared as she traversed one spread. second-largest economy
of Wuhan's major shopping “I’m so excited, I want to after declaring victory over
A store employee waits outside for customers at a re-opened the outbreak.
retail street in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on
Monday, March 30, 2020. Shopkeepers in the city at the center The city in Hubei province
of China's virus outbreak were reopening Monday but customers is the last major popula-
were scarce after authorities lifted more of the anti-virus controls tion center still under travel
that kept tens of millions of people at home for two months. (AP controls. Residents were al-
Photo/Olivia Zhang) lowed to go to other parts
Associated Press of Hubei but could not
cry,” said the woman, who “After two months trapped leave the province. Restric-
gave only her English name at home, I want to jump,” tions on other Hubei resi-
Kat as she eyed the wares she added, jumping up dents were lifted March 23.
in the Chuhe Hanjie pedes- and down excitedly. The final curbs on Wuhan
trian mall. A teacher in the eastern end April 8.q