Andy Warhol’s paintings were stolen in a gallery robbery in the Netherlands

Two works by Dutch artist Andy Warhol were stolen during an overnight burglary at a gallery in the Netherlands.

The incident occurred at the MPV Gallery in North Brabant province.

The thieves initially took four silkscreens from Warhol’s Reigning Queens series but left two nearby, the gallery owner told Dutch broadcaster NOS.

The works taken were from the late Queen Elizabeth II. It is owned by Queen Elizabeth II and Margrethe II, who was Queen of Denmark until her dethronement earlier this year.

Local police, who are investigating, said some kind of explosion occurred and caused significant damage to the gallery and surrounding buildings. It was stated that the thieves escaped by car.

According to NOS, two other prints in the series, depicting Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, were abandoned because they did not fit on the vehicle.

The four artworks were being held at the gallery ahead of the PAN Amsterdam art fair later this month, where they will be sold as a set.

They are part of a series of 16 silkscreens depicting four queens created by Warhol, considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, in 1985, two years before his death.

Queen Elizabeth II Two works depicting Elizabeth sold for more than £500,000 each at Sotheby’s in 2022.