MAASHORST, NETHERLANDS – A collective gasp has echoed through the art world and the Netherlands following the startling admission by the municipality of Maashorst that a valuable Andy Warhol screen print of the then-reigning Queen Beatrix has “most likely” been accidentally thrown away. The artwork, part of a collection of 46 missing pieces, vanished during renovations at the town hall in Uden, a borough now incorporated into the new Maashorst municipality.
The missing print is a rare piece from Warhol’s 1985 “Reigning Queens” series, a collection of silkscreen portraits depicting Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland alongside the Dutch monarch. Signed prints from this series are highly sought after, often fetching tens of thousands of euros at auction, making this an oversight of potentially significant financial and cultural cost.
According to a statement released by the Maashorst municipality on Thursday, the artworks were stored in a basement during extensive renovation work at the Uden town hall last year. However, when officials of the newly formed Maashorst sought to inventory the collection, a staggering 46 pieces were unaccounted for.
A subsequent independent investigation, commissioned by the municipality between November and March, concluded with the grim assessment that the artworks were likely discarded as trash. The investigation pointed to a confluence of administrative failings, including a lack of clear ownership records, absent policies regarding the renovation process, insufficient action taken when the artworks were initially noticed missing, and a general lack of guidelines for the registration, storage, conservation, and security of the municipal art collection.
“It’s most likely that the artworks were accidentally taken away with the trash,” the Maashorst municipality stated, a starkly understated assessment of a monumental blunder.
Maashorst’s Mayor, Hans van der Pas, expressed his regret to local broadcaster Omroep Brabant, stating, “This is not how you treat valuable items. But it happened. We regret that.”
The news has ignited a wave of disbelief and anger among art historians and the Dutch public. The idea that a signed Warhol print of a former head of state could be so carelessly lost has been met with widespread condemnation. Questions are being raised about the competence and oversight within the municipality’s administration.
While the final report of the investigation will not be made fully public, citing privacy concerns, the core finding – that a valuable piece of art history ended up in a landfill – is a damning indictment of the handling of public cultural assets. The Maashorst municipality has acknowledged the “unacceptable error” and pledged to overhaul its art management procedures to prevent a recurrence.
However, the chances of recovering the unique artwork are considered extremely slim. The image of a potentially iconic Warhol portrait of Queen Beatrix buried under tons of refuse is a deeply unsettling one for art lovers and a stark reminder of the importance of proper stewardship of cultural treasures. The “oops” moment in Maashorst has inadvertently created a cautionary tale for municipalities worldwide.