[MSN] Netherlands. Police Return Stolen Van Gogh Work to Dutch Bank Van Lanschot

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Police Return Stolen Van Gogh Work to Dutch Bank Van Lanschot 

(The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Bloomberg.)

By Joana Quintanilha 

March 16 (Bloomberg) -- Dutch police recovered a stolen Vincent van Gogh
painting, ``The Willow,'' and returned it to Van Lanschot NV, the oldest
bank in the Netherlands. 

The painting was stolen from the bank's headquarters in 1999. Police
arrested two suspects, the bank said today in an e-mail, without giving
further details. ``The Willow'' was painted between 1884 and 1885 in Nuenen,
in the south of the Netherlands, where Van Gogh lived for two years, the
bank said. The painting will be displayed at Van Lanschot's headquarters. 

``The Netherlands has won back a Van Gogh and so has Van Lanschot,'' said
Floris Deckers, the chairman of Den Bosch, Netherlands-based Van Lanschot.
Deckers declined to comment on the value of the painting. 

The painting, one of the last by Van Gogh in Nuenen, belonged to a Canadian
collector and was sold to Van Lanschot in 1994. Van Lanschot was founded in
1737. 

Christie's International Plc is offering a portrait by Van Gogh for $40
million at an auction in May. 

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