Poppy Flowers
 | |
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887 |
| Type | Still life |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 65 cm × 54 cm (26 in × 21 in) |
Poppy Flowers (also known as Vase And Flowers and Vase with Viscaria) is a painting by Vincent van Gogh with an estimated value of $50 million[1] to $55 million;[2] it was stolen from Cairo's Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in August 2010 and is still yet to be found.[3]
Egyptian officials erroneously believed they had recovered the painting only hours after its theft when two Italian suspects attempted to board a plane to Italy at Cairo International Airport.[4] The same painting had been stolen from the same museum on June 4, 1977, and was recovered ten years later[5] in Kuwait.[6]
The painting is small, measuring 65 x 54 cm, and depicts yellow and red poppy flowers.[7] It is believed that van Gogh painted it in 1887, three years before his suicide.[5] The painting, which is of a vase of yellow and red poppies, contrasted against a dark ground is a reflection of Van Gogh's deep admiration for Adolphe Monticelli, an older painter whose work influenced him when first he saw it in Paris in 1886.[8]
Reaction to theft
In October 2010, an Egyptian court found 11 culture ministry employees, including Deputy Culture Minister Mohsen Shalan, guilty of negligence of their professional duties;[3] they were freed on bail of about $1,750.[3]
Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris put up a $175,000 reward for information leading to the painting.[9]
References
- ↑ "Egyptian authorities recover stolen Van Gogh painting". CNN. August 21, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Egypt culture chief sleepless over Van Gogh theft". Reuters. August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Egyptian ministry officials jailed over Van Gogh theft". BBC News. 12 October 2010.
- ↑ "Faulty alarms blamed for Van Gogh theft in Egypt". BBC News. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
- 1 2 "Van Gogh painting stolen in Cairo". BBC News. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
- ↑ "Egyptian minister says Van Gogh picture still missing". BBC News. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
- ↑ "Egypt Court Jails Officials Over Van Gogh's "Vase with Viscaria" Stolen in August". artdaily.org. April 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
- ↑ Guardian, Stolen Van Gogh Still Missing Retrieved August 26, 2010
- ↑ "Egyptian tycoon offers reward for Van Gogh theft". Reuters. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
External links
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News related to Van Gogh painting pinched, again at Wikinews