The stolen statue of Vincent van Gogh is in its usual place at the Kop van de Vaart in Assen. The famous painter apparently returned from his stay in Vledder unscathed.
The large Van Gogh, made of Styrofoam, lies on a mattress on a large trailer. Under the watchful eye of the members of the New Year’s Eve association De Oliebol from Vledder, Assen city center manager Kjeld Vosjan and a group of interested parties, it is placed back on its pedestal.
Media attention
A few minutes later it’s as if he never left. But the stunt of the end-of-year association did not go unnoticed. On December 12, instead of the statue of the famous painter, a cardboard sign stood. “I was a bit surprised last night, my brush is now elsewhere.” The stunt received a lot of media attention.
Assen missed Van Gogh. The eye-catcher of the large Van Gogh exhibition in the Drents Museum, which can be seen until January 7, was the eye-catcher of the accompanying city center walk. “We appreciate the joke, but we have also had reactions from people who missed the image. A joke is fun, but this has also had an impact besides the fun,” city center manager Vosjan said earlier. The ‘theft’ was therefore reported to the police.
Inside information
“It was quite an important part of the Van Gogh experience ”, Vosjan responds. “We were quite sour in that sense.” Still, the city center association knew thanks inside information soon where the image was and that it was handled well. The report was mainly a signal and to be able to recover any damage. The damage seems to be not too bad, but just to be sure, the makers will soon inspect the statue again.
When the chairman of De Oliebol offers Vosjan the traditional make-up gift, there is a small smile. A conversation will follow. “Realize that what you do can also harm others,” says Vosjan. The declaration will probably expire, Vosjan will make a final decision about this later.
Vincent had a nice stay
According to Tim de Rooij of the end-of-year association, the painter himself had little trouble from his kidnapping. After a stay in a strictly secret location, the statue was presented to the village on January 1. “We brought Vincent along as an ode to the craftsmen. Without them, Vledder is nothing.” That message came across, De Rooij believes. “Vincent received a warm welcome and had a great time in Vledder.”