Introduction 

At this point in time, Vincent Van Gogh – a Dutch painter – is probably one of the most known painters in the world. From Realism to Post-Impressionism, Modern art, Impressionism, Japonism, Cloisonnism, Pointillism, and finally Neo-impressionism, his art had a story that went on until his possible suicide. This issue will be about Poppy Flowers, which was stolen twice. 

The theft: 

Poppy Flowers is a less-known painting by the one-eared painter Van Gogh. That said, it didn’t stop it from being snatched away from Cairo’s Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum. On June 4th, 1977, during the time that the museum was moving to another palace, Poppy Flowers went missing. We don’t actually know what happened because the Egyptian government still hasn’t put out this information, almost 43 years later. However, we are lucky enough to know that it could possibly be a trio that had so sneakily seized this oil painting. Whether it really is a group of three thieves or just one person, the painting was soon recovered. It was found here. Yes, here, in Kuwait! The location it was found in is unknown due to the government keeping it quiet. In the end, Poppy Flowers returned home after some time and was placed back on its ‘rightful’ walls. 

But the story doesn’t end there.   

In August of 2010, the painting, being weirdly popular to robbers, was stolen yet again. This time, we know the story. In broad daylight… The suspect(s), pushed a couch against the wall and simply cut the painting out of its frame. Then casually just walked out. 

Talk about bad security, am I right? 

And that’s not it: Egyptian officials say that at the time of the theft, only 7 out of 43 cameras were working. 

Really..?

After that, the painting was not recovered, and it still remains missing today, with no real leads at all. 

The Suspects: 

As mentioned before, the Egyptian government has not disclosed much information on the thefts, so the details are very vague. 

The first theft: “A Moving Mystery” 

Referring back to the trio, who possibly stole the painting, there hasn’t been much evidence supporting that point. For now, though, that is all we’ve got. 

The second theft: “Poor Security” 

After the theft, Egyptian officials claimed they had stopped two men, supposedly carrying the painting with them at the Cairo International airport. They were boarding a plane to Italy. The two same unidentified men were spotted at the museum earlier- but they ended up escaping. 

Conclusion:

Poppy Flowers still remains missing to this day after being stolen twice. Although it is a painting on the more unpopular side, we thought we’d cover it due to our interest in the mystery. Thank you for reading!