Why the painting for 17 million is called the most unhappy in the world: "Two laughing boys with a beer" by Hals

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

An incredibly valuable 17th century painting by Dutch master Frans Hals, believed to be worth more than $ 17 million, has been stolen … for the third time! This happened at the Museum of the Netherlands. The police are at a loss. After all, the canvas has been stolen for the third time in the last thirty years! How did the thieves manage such a daring crime?

Criminals broke into the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden museum at about 3.30 am last Wednesday. The purpose of the thieves was an expensive painting by the Flemish artist "Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer" (1626). The intruders entered the museum through the back door. The alarm went off, of course, but by the time the police arrived, no one was there.

Back in 1988, Hals's painting was brazenly stolen along with Jacob van Ruisdael's “View of the forest with a blooming elder” (also 17th century). Then, twenty-three years later, history repeated itself and the same paintings were stolen a second time. It took three years to get the stolen artwork back the first time. The police managed to do it for the second time in six months.

Hals Frans (1582-1666), famous Dutch painter. His canvases are highly prized by collectors and are incredibly expensive. The future master studied in 1600-1603 with Karel van Mander and worked in Haarlem. The artist became famous for his portraits, genre scenes and images of the evangelists. Hals's canvases are characterized by warm tones of color, clear modeling of forms using dense strokes.

Frans Hals is a prominent representative of the so-called "golden age" of Dutch painting, which fell on the 17th century. The artist was the contemporaries of such brush masters as Rembrandt and Jan Vermeer. Probably the most famous portrait of the French philosopher Rene Descartes belongs to the authorship of the painter. Van Gogh claimed that twenty-seven shades of black can be recognized in the paintings of Frans Hals.

An official police statement says that an investigation has begun and that everything possible will be done to recover the stolen artwork. City Mayor Sjors Frohlich says: “This is very sad news. We hope that the canvas will return to the museum in the near future”. According to him, a huge group of police officers are engaged in the investigation of the abduction.

The theft was committed, despite the fact that after the previous security in the museum Hofier van Mevrouw van Aerden was strengthened many times over. Visitors wishing to see the most expensive works of the institution were accompanied by an employee. But the police were late, even though the alarm went off. Since the museum is still closed for quarantine, the criminals saw a good opportunity to carry out a raid at such an early hour and successfully seized it.

Dutch private detective, Arthur Brand, who is called "Indiana Jones" in the art world, says: “Many museums suffer terrible losses during the quarantine and this is forcing them to cut their security costs. Thieves now perceive the theft from the museum as a harmless walk for cakes. " During his career, Brand rescued a stolen Picasso painting, a collection of 15th century Persian poetry, Oscar Wilde's lost friendship ring, and other outstanding art objects. The detective claims that this painting was stolen by order.

The Hals painting that was stolen was painted by him in 1626. Its value is, according to various expert estimates, more than $ 17 million. The museum declined to comment on the incident. The police do not yet have any evidence pointing to the trail of daring criminals. The location of the Khalsa painting is currently unknown.

In the Netherlands, this is the second high-profile theft in the last year. In March, Vincent van Gogh's painting "The Spring Garden, the Pastor's Garden in Nuenen in the Spring" was stolen. And the third case of the abduction of the same painting in the art world is not a record. The "Portrait of Jacob de Hein III", painted by Rembrandt in 1632, was stolen four times, and the "Ghent Altar", completed by Jan and Hubert van Eyck in 1432, six (according to other sources, seven) times.

"Two laughing boys with a mug of beer" are considered by some scientists to be part of a series of paintings in which the artist explored the five senses. This picture could represent sight as the subject looks into his mug and his companion looks over his shoulder.

The police have a difficult job to do. Although the story does not always work out well, the evidence tends to be found. The law enforcement officers already have clues with the Van Gogh painting stolen in the spring. It remains to be hoped that both of the greatest works of art will return to their rightful places in museums, and the criminals will be punished with dignity.

Another high-profile crime in the art world happened in Germany, read about it in our article robbery for a billion: who stole the historical values of the Green Vault Museum.