
Van Gogh paintings stolen from Amsterdam found in Italy - dustinmoris
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37516164
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richardjs
Van Gogh is most known for his painting, but he also created drawings. For
example, he drew a pen and ink version of _Starry Night_ [1]. I particularly
like _Windmills at Montmartre_ [2]. I think it'd be easy to argue his talent
and skill carry over into his drawing.

I say all this to quote him writing to his brother: "I cannot tell you how
happy I am that I have taken up drawing again. I had been thinking about it
for a long time, but always considered it impossible and beyond my abilities."
[3]

[1] [http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Drawing/1574/Starry-
Ni...](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Drawing/1574/Starry-Night.html)

[2]
[http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Drawing/1729/Windmills...](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Drawing/1729/Windmills-
at-Montmartre.html)

[3]
[http://www.vangoghgallery.com/drawings/](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/drawings/)

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sandworm101
>> We don't yet know how the clan got hold of them, nor whether its members
had been planning to sell the works on the international black market.

Over the last several decades, stolen masterpieces are thought to have become
a form of currency, collateral, amongst certain crime families. Those in
possession probably had no intention on ever selling these paintings. Nor
would they display them. The paintings are a commodity to be traded hidden and
traded within a narrow circle of families. Perhaps decades later they may be
sold off on a black market, but more likely they would be kept in perpetual
darkness as are those taken in the legendary Gardner museum theft.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museu...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museum_theft#Leads)

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nerdponx
This sounds like it would be a great movie plot.

~~~
futureproofd
Roof entry with hammers? Doesn't sound too riveting.

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ChuckMcM
I think the idea is smashing. :-)

I took a cinema class at USC (one of my non-engineering credits) and it
deconstructed the 'heist movie' in such a way that took a lot of the fun out
of them. When the heist location plays the antagonist you get a sort of MI-5
movie, when the heist location is a simple smash and grab it plays the part of
connecting the protagonist to the the antagonist. In this case it sounds like
there was a long drawn out investigation so it would be the latter, with the
story being the ups and downs of the investigating team tracking the painting
post theft.

~~~
nerdponx
Where does _To Catch a Thief_ fit into the heist movie ontology? That's
basically what I was thinking of when I wrote the post.

