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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A detective said he negotiated the return of a Van Gogh painting that was stolen in 2020.</li><li>Arthur Brand said he was delivered the painting in a blue Ikea bag at his home.</li></ul>A Dutch art detective says he was delivered a missing Van Gogh artwork tucked in a blue Ikea bag at his home in Amsterdam.Arthur Brand, <a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/09/12/an-indiana-jones-of-the-art-world-recovers-stolen-van-gogh-painting#:~:text=Dubbed%20The%20Netherlands'%20'Indiana%20Jones,English%20as%20'Spring%20Garden'." target="_blank" rel="noopener">dubbed</a> the "Indiana Jones of the art world" by local media, made the announcement in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxFc5XGo0uB/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video posted on his Instagram account</a> on Tuesday."So here it is! The Spring Garden by Vincent van Gogh, which was stolen three and a half years ago on Van Gogh's birthday from a museum in the Netherlands," he said. The painting, which has the full title "The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring," was stolen during a break-in at the Singer Laren museum in the Dutch town of Laren on March 30, 2020.The museum was displaying the artwork as part of a temporary exhibition and had borrowed it from the Groninger Museum, per a statement on its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile/100043523213850/search/?q=theft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook account</a>. The museum was closed at the time due to the coronavirus pandemic.The thief smashed through two glass doors to get into the museum, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66785150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the BBC</a>.Over the past few years the painting circulated in the criminal world, according to communications intercepted by the police, the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66785150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported.</a>In comments to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/sep/12/indiana-jones-of-art-world-recovers-stolen-van-gogh-painting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>, Brand said that the police were able to arrest everybody involved: the thief, intermediaries and the buyer. "Everybody was in jail, but the painting was still not there," he said.That is, until Brand received a call from an unidentified individual who told him they could return the Van Gogh.After some negotiations, he persuaded the man, whom Brand said had "nothing to do with the theft," to hand it to him, The Guardian reported.Brand did not reveal the identity of the man. It remains unclear how he got the painting.In his Instagram post, Brand said he recovered the iconic painting in "close coordination" with Dutch police and would hand it over to the director of the Groninger Museum "in a couple of minutes". In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile/100043523213850/search/?q=theft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook post</a>, the museum's director, Andreas Blühm, thanked Brand for his role in the search.Brand <a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/09/12/an-indiana-jones-of-the-art-world-recovers-stolen-van-gogh-painting#:~:text=Dubbed%20The%20Netherlands'%20'Indiana%20Jones,English%20as%20'Spring%20Garden'." target="_blank" rel="noopener">has helped recover more than 200 works of art over the past 20 years, per </a><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/stolen-dutch-artworks-westfries-museum/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a><a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/09/12/an-indiana-jones-of-the-art-world-recovers-stolen-van-gogh-painting#:~:text=Dubbed%20The%20Netherlands'%20'Indiana%20Jones,English%20as%20'Spring%20Garden'." target="_blank" rel="noopener">.</a>He helped recover <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/art-detective-arthur-brand-stolen-dutch-a7170401.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Salvador Dalí's "Adolescence"</a> in 2016, <a href="https://twitter.com/brand_arthur/status/758184655459868673" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tamara de Lempicka's "La Musicienne"</a> in 2016, as well as <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20191116-oscar-wilde-s-stolen-ring-found-by-dutch-art-detective" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a ring once gifted to a friend by Oscar Wilde</a>. According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/arts/design/van-gogh-returned-dutch-museum.html#:~:text=A%20Vincent%20van%20Gogh%20painting,private%20Dutch%20art%20crimes%20detective." target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>, Brand has published books, hosted a television program about locating stolen art, and has often urged people to come forward to return stolen artworks.

A Van Gogh painting stolen from a Dutch museum was handed to an art detective in an Ikea bag after being missing for years

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I live in Groningen and I think it's a great alternative in The Netherlands to bustling Amsterdam.</li><li>Food prices can be cheaper and it has spots just as beautiful as what you'd find in Amsterdam. </li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-things-moving-to-netherlands-from-us-2022-3">The Netherlands</a> is famous for its capital city, Amsterdam, but the country has much more to offer visitors.As a local who moved nearby to Groningen about 10 years ago, I think you're missing out if you don't take a two-hour train ride up north to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/places-ruined-by-tourists-over-the-past-decade-2019-12">escape the many tourists</a> and high prices.In my opinion, my city has everything Amsterdam has to offer without the crowds, gimmicky T-shirts, and bus tours that seem to be at every corner.Groningen is a student city in the northern Netherlands. Here, you can walk along a canal, stroll through a park, or eat poffertjes on the street. If you visit, you'll likely actually hear passersby speak Dutch, too.I've made it my home and can truly say that if you're traveling to the country for an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-moved-from-japan-to-netherlands-happier-less-lonely-2024-7">authentic Dutch experience</a>, this is where you need to be.<h2 id="8c1c396b-07f7-4635-a167-19167d3185ab">You can often find similar food for better prices in Groningen</h2><div type="image" title="View of canal in Groningen" height="853" width="1280" msid="112349119" hostid="261" sizebytes="123992"></div>Earlier this year, an eatery in Amsterdam went viral for supposedly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/13-euro-stroopwafels-amsterdam-cause-stir-tiktok">selling stroopwafels</a> for 10 to 13 euros a pop. Many Dutch locals balked since they can usually be bought from street trucks for just a few euros.This is just one example of how sky-high prices can be in Amsterdam, especially when it comes to food. After all, it is one of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://moneyweek.com/spending-it/travel-holidays/most-expensive-cities-in-the-world-to-visit">most expensive cities to visit</a>, according to data collected by travel company Rustic Pathways this year.Generally, I've found many prices are lower in Groningen than in Amsterdam. And if you want a stroopwafel, head to our Vismarkt to get one the size of your face for no more than 3 euros.<h2 id="c019bc7a-5dd8-4d5a-9221-9c2a6a7a3950">Amsterdam and Groningen both have some beautiful parks to explore</h2>Vondelpark in Amsterdam is a well-known park as it sits to the side of the famed Rijksmuseum.It's beautiful, but it gets so busy <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-netherlands/amsterdam/vondelpark-and-around/attractions/vondelpark/a/poi-sig/1096921/1323043">with about 12 million visitors a year</a>. It's often full to the brim with children playing, people gathering with food, and folks going on strolls.Fortunately, Groningen has beautiful parks, like Noorderplantsoen, that welcome fewer visitors and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/visited-sarasota-florida-beach-town-great-restaurants-2024-5">feel less crowded</a>.The large public park has a pond surrounded by a playground, lots of grassy spaces, and a little café where you can stop for a coffee or lemonade.On a warm day in the Netherlands, Noorderplantsoen is the place to be — students mingle, families take strolls, and the entire vibe is incredibly carefree.If Noorderplantsoen feels like a bit too much for you, the Prinsentuin is a quieter alternative, especially if you enjoy greenery.The Prinsentuin sits in the center of Groningen — just behind the Martini Tower, the tallest church steeple in the city — and has gardens with benches, archways, a café, and a tea house.<h2 id="7ba15f4e-587d-4385-b544-3dfb404706d4">Both cities are a fine place to enjoy art and culture</h2><div type="image" title="View of Martini Tower from alleyway" height="853" width="1280" msid="112349116" hostid="261" sizebytes="223494"></div>The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is one of the biggest in the world and houses iconic artworks, from Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" to several Van Gogh and Monet paintings.But Groningen also has its own art scene in the form of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/museum">Groninger Museum</a>, a unique building across from the train station that houses an array of modern art pieces, countless exhibitions, and even a Van Gogh of its own.And in Grote Markt (the main square of Groningen) is the <a target="_blank" href="https://forum.nl/?_gl=1*17irw1r*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTEyMTA5ODQyNC4xNzE4MzA3MTY2*_ga_J4GZWWPHS5*MTcxODMwNzE2My4xLjAuMTcxODMwNzE2My4wLjAuMA..">Groninger Forum</a>, which is kind of like the nucleus of the city. It has a library, photo exhibitions, a movie theater that shows foreign films, and countless activities every day of the week.From its rooftop terrace, you can see an incredible view of Groningen, including major landmarks like the Martini Tower, the Vismarkt, and the Grote Markt.

Skip the tourist traps and high prices in Amsterdam — take a short train ride to this beautiful gem instead 

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A Van Gogh painting stolen from a Dutch museum was handed to an art detective in an Ikea bag after being missing for years

Thibault Spirlet

Skip the tourist traps and high prices in Amsterdam — take a short train ride to this beautiful gem instead

Sarah Veldman

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