Which way the painting The two laughing boys van Hals has traveled is difficult to estimate. Via the underworld, that is certain, but the question is exactly how. A multi-million dollar painting can often be used as a means of exchange among criminals, Arthur explains. “Sometimes a thief thinks: I’ll give the police a painting back, and then my sentence will be lower. But that’s not how the Public Prosecution Service works anymore. There are stiff penalties for stealing a painting.”
Art detective recovers stolen Van Gogh, is Frans Hals from Leerdam next? ’80 percent chance’
