Art Disposal Incident
The Maashorst municipality in the Netherlands admitted to "most likely" accidentally discarding 46 valuable artworks, including a rare Andy Warhol print of Queen Beatrix, during town hall renovations.
Investigations revealed that the artworks were poorly stored in a basement and some were placed in wheelie bins, leading to their mistaken disposal as trash.
Response and Investigation
Mayor Hans van der Pas expressed regret over the mishandling of the artworks, emphasizing the lack of proper policies, procedures, and rapid action upon discovery of the missing pieces.
The municipality conducted an investigation from November to March, concluding that it was unlikely the artworks would be recovered, and highlighting several failures in the handling and storage of the artworks.