On Tuesday morning, the police arrested a 58-year-old man in the Utrecht municipality of Baarn, who is suspected of stealing two paintings: a Van Gogh and a Frans Hals.
Both paintings were stolen last year. The work of Van Gogh, Spring garden, the pastor garden in Nuenen in the spring (1884) was removed from Singer Laren at the end of March. That museum had it on temporary loan from the Groninger Museum.
The Frans Hals, Two smiling boys (1626-1627), was stolen from the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden museum in Leerdam at the end of August. It was the third time the painting had been stolen.
The Utrecht police has “conducted intensive investigations for months,” said a spokesperson in a video on Twitter. That investigation led to a 58-year-old man from Baarn, who was arrested in his home.
The works themselves are still without a trace, according to the police, who are asking for tips.
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