Spectacular Kunstraub: Warhol portraits and Siber's works destroyed!

Spectacular Kunstraub: Warhol portraits and Siber's works destroyed!

A shocking art streak shaken the art world! At the beginning of November, unscrupulous thieves stormed the renowned MPV Gallery in Oisterwijk in Dutch and left a chaos that is second to none. With an explosion they blew up the door to get to the valuable portraits from the "Queens" series of the famous US painter Andy Warhol. But that's not all: the force of the detonation destroyed numerous works by the talented Upper Swabian artist Willi Siber, who were exhibited there.

"You had to go through my exhibition to get to Andy Warhol's top-class players," says Siber, who acts as CEO of the Hoenes Foundation. The surveillance cameras document the devastating consequences of the explosion, which even smashed windows in the surrounding buildings. A "total damage" of almost 30 of his works, which were irreparably damaged by the explosion, amounts to at least 200,000 euros. "No improvements are possible with my type of work," explains Siber, who has been active in the art scene for over 40 years.

The art builders in the sight of the investigators

The perpetrators had targeted the iconic Warhol portraits, but were only able to capture two screen prints by the British Queen Elizabeth II and the Danish Queen Margrethe II. The pictures were damaged during the escape and the perpetrators left the portraits of the Dutch Queen Beatrix and the Queen NTFombi Twala from Swasiland. A 23-year-old suspect has now been arrested, while the investigation is continued in four other locations. Siber assumes that it is a "commissioned robbery" in which the perpetrators work for collectors.

The planned presentation of Siber's works on the Pan Amsterdam is now on the brink. "I would have had a big appearance that is now obsolete," emphasizes the artist. The shock sits deeply, and the bewilderness over the amateur -like approach of the art builders remains. "About how they did it can only be shaken and smile," said Siber. The art scene looks spellbound on the developments and hopes for quick education.