Latest news with #ReigningQueens'
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Dutch Municipality Accidentally Discards a 1980s Warhol Print
Sometimes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. But in one recent bureaucratic snafu, a known treasure most likely ended up in the trash. The southern Dutch municipality of Maashorst appears to have mistakenly thrown out a valuable silk-screen print of former Queen Beatrix by Andy Warhol, along with nearly 50 other works of art, according to an independent investigation ordered by the municipality. The works of art had probably gone missing after a renovation of the town hall, Maashorst officials said in a statement. But the investigation was not entirely conclusive, and officials say they may never be certain what had happened to the art. 'It's not likely that the missing art works will ever be found,' the mayor and aldermen of the municipality wrote in a letter to the council last week. The missing Warhol print was part of his 1985 'Reigning Queens' series. Besides Beatrix, who was the Dutch monarch from 1980 until her abdication in 2013, the series also depicts Queen Elizabeth II of England, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). The Queen Beatrix print that was thrown away is worth $40,000 to $50,000, according to Richard Polsky of Richard Polsky Art Authentication. 'They're lucky they didn't own 'Queen Elizabeth,'' he wrote in an email, 'which is worth approximately $250,000!' Arthur Brand, an independent art detective in Amsterdam, called the loss of the artwork tragic and said it was emblematic of the larger problem of organizations and governments having poor oversight of their art collections. In some cases, that can invite theft, Mr. Brand said. In this case, though, it was carelessness. 'Doesn't everyone recognize that as a Warhol?' Mr. Brand said in a phone interview. 'You don't even have to know anything about art, you can see that right away.' It's unclear how the works were stored and who was ultimately responsible for throwing them away. Hans van der Pas, the mayor of Maashorst, declined to comment directly on the issue but expressed his dismay about the situation to the local media last week. 'This is not how you handle valuable things,' he told a local broadcaster. 'But it did happen, and we regret that.' The print is also hard to miss. Not only is it brightly colored, and a depiction of a former monarch who'd be recognizable to anyone working in the municipality, it's also fairly large. Many of the 'Reigning Queens' prints are about 40 by 31 inches. Mr. Brand, the art detective, said he was holding out hope that somebody perhaps saved the portrait. 'I hope someone took it,' he said. 'I'd be fine with that person keeping it, because that way the print is safer than with the municipality itself.' It's not the first mishap involving Mr. Warhol's 'Reigning Queens' portfolio in the Netherlands. In November, thieves used explosives to blow up a door to a gallery in a small town in the south of the country and stole four prints in the same series. Two of them were later recovered, according to the Dutch broadcaster NOS. 'If this continues,' Mr. Brand said, 'we soon won't have many Warhols of Queen Beatrix left.'
Russia Today
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Dutch town hall throws away Warhol artwork
A Dutch town hall has said it may have accidentally disposed of dozens of works of art, including a piece by famed artist Andy Warhol, during recent renovation works, according to local broadcaster Omroep Brabant. The municipality of Maashorst said on Thursday that the works of art had been stored in a basement during extensive renovations of the town hall last year. An investigation commissioned by the municipality found that 46 works – among them a rare 1980s silkscreen of former Dutch royal Queen Beatrix by Warhol – had gone missing, 'most likely' ending up with bulk waste and unlikely to be recovered. According to the investigation, there were no policies or procedures in place for handling the works during the renovation. Some pieces were loaned to a local museum, others returned to the artists, while those placed in the town hall's basement became damaged. The response was also reportedly slow once the works were found to be missing. The Warhol piece, estimated at around €22,000 ($25,000), was last seen in September 2023, the report said. Maashorst Mayor Hans van der Pas told the Omroep Brabant the artwork must have ended up with the bulk waste sometime during that period. 'This is no way to treat valuable items,' he said. 'But it happened. We regret it.' Warhol, widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, created the print as part of his 1985 'Reigning Queens' series – two years before his death. The series features 16 colorful silkscreen prints portraying four monarchs: Elizabeth II of the UK, Beatrix of the Netherlands, Margrethe II of Denmark, and Ntombi Twala of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). He based the works on official state portraits chosen for their mass circulation on stamps, currency, and other public media. In a separate incident last November, several of Warhol's Reigning Queens silkscreens were stolen during an overnight break-in at the MPV Gallery in the Dutch province of North Brabant. Thieves initially took four prints from the series but abandoned two nearby. The stolen works depicted Queen Elizabeth II and Margrethe II of Denmark, while prints of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini were left behind because they reportedly did not fit in the getaway car.08:59hello Jay, many thanks
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Town hall accidentally bins Andy Warhol print of former Dutch Queen
An Andy Warhol print of the former Dutch queen is believed to have been accidentally binned by staff at a town hall. The silkscreen print of Queen Beatrix was among 45 artworks likely to have been thrown away during renovations of Uden town hall in the Netherlands in 2023. Maashorst municipality officials confirmed on Thursday that the missing artworks, valued at €22,000 (£18,700), were likely disposed of in council rubbish vans and incinerated at a local waste centre, an investigation by the Dutch municipalities found. 'That is no way to treat valuable items,' said Hans van der Pas, Maashorst mayor. 'But it happened, and we're sorry.' Among the lost works was a Warhol print of former Dutch Queen Beatrix from his 1985 'Reigning Queens' series, valued at around €15,000 (£12,800). The series had portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Beatrix, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini (Swaziland). The investigation revealed the artworks were stored in the basement of Uden town hall during 2023 renovations. They were moved multiple times and damaged by a water leak. Some were placed in wheelie bins and 'not handled with care', according to investigators. They cited several factors for the loss: unclear ownership documentation, lack of proper procedures during renovation, insufficient action when items were discovered missing, and no guidelines for artwork registration, storage and security. The loss happened while Uden was being incorporated into the new Maashorst municipality. The Warhol print was last seen in September 2023 with water damage before disappearing completely by October. Officials say the artworks will likely never be recovered. The investigation, conducted from November to March, will not be fully published to protect interviewees' privacy. The case comes months after another incident involving Warhol's works in the Netherlands, when thieves attempted to steal four prints from the same 'Reigning Queens' series from a gallery in North Brabant province. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
25-04-2025
- Telegraph
Town hall accidentally bins Andy Warhol print of former Dutch Queen
An Andy Warhol print of the former Dutch queen is believed to have been accidentally binned by staff at a town hall. The silkscreen print of Queen Beatrix was among 45 artworks likely to have been thrown away during renovations of Uden town hall in the Netherlands in 2023. Maashorst municipality officials confirmed on Thursday that the missing artworks, valued at €22,000 (£18,700), were likely disposed of in council rubbish vans and incinerated at a local waste centre, an investigation by the Dutch municipalities found. 'That is no way to treat valuable items,' said Hans van der Pas, Maashorst mayor. 'But it happened, and we're sorry.' Among the lost works was a Warhol print of former Dutch Queen Beatrix from his 1985 'Reigning Queens' series, valued at around €15,000 (£12,800). The series had portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Beatrix, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini (Swaziland). The investigation revealed the artworks were stored in the basement of Uden town hall during 2023 renovations. 'Not handled with care' They were moved multiple times and damaged by a water leak. Some were placed in wheelie bins and 'not handled with care', according to investigators. They cited several factors for the loss: unclear ownership documentation, lack of proper procedures during renovation, insufficient action when items were discovered missing, and no guidelines for artwork registration, storage and security. The loss happened while Uden was being incorporated into the new Maashorst municipality. The Warhol print was last seen in September 2023 with water damage before disappearing completely by October. Officials say the artworks will likely never be recovered. The investigation, conducted from November to March, will not be fully published to protect interviewees' privacy. The case comes months after another incident involving Warhol's works in the Netherlands, when thieves attempted to steal four prints from the same 'Reigning Queens' series from a gallery in North Brabant province.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Warhol print among dozens of pieces trashed by Dutch town hall
A Dutch town hall believes a 1985 silkscreen of the Dutch queen created by Andy Warhol was among nearly 50 artworks 'most likely' thrown away when the building was renovated last year. Investigators in the Netherlands said 46 pieces of art that were informally stored in a basement were likely mistaken for trash, according to the BBC. Maashorst Mayor Hans van der Pas reportedly acknowledged to local media that it's unfortunate the lost pieces were mistreated. 'But it happened,' he said. 'We regret that.' The missing Warhol was believed to have been worth more that $17,000. It depicted Queen Beatrix who wore the crown from 1980 to 2013. The piece was part of Warhol's 'Reigning Queens' series. He died in 1987. The town hall's entire collection of likely discarded pieces was worth more than $30,000. Some of the artworks were carelessly stored in wheelie bins, local media said. Investigators found 'no policies and procedures were established regarding the renovation' and sufficient action wasn't taken when the pieces were noticed missing.
