The work “The Spring Garden” (1884) by Vincent Van Gogh was stolen today from the Singer Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Taking advantage of the museum's quarantine, the thieves entered around 3 am this Monday and broke a glass door to gain entry. The museum's alarm was activated, however, by the time the police had arrived, the thieves had already fled with the piece.

“I'm really upset that this has happened,” Evert van Os, the museum's director, said at a news conference. “This is a very low blow. It is really difficult, especially in these times.”

To make the situation even worse, the work is not owned by the Singer Museum; It was a loan made by the Groninger Museum for the temporary exhibition “Mirror of the Soul” and was the only work by the Dutch artist that was part of that collection.

The work “The Spring Garden” was painted in 1884 by Van Gogh when he was still living in Neunen, where his father was a shepherd. The work shows a setting made up of a ruined church, a scene that the artist could see from his father's house.

Currently the police have already begun the investigation, and are reviewing security video and questioning residents of the area. They are also reviewing footage from neighborhood security cameras. It is currently unknown if there were any other pieces stolen from the Singer Museum's collection. It is worth mentioning that the theft took place on the birthday of the artist, who was born on March 30, 1853.

With information from Aristegui Noticias and Artnet.