The security of the Dacia exhibition in the Drents Museum failed during the theft of the Romanian art treasures that took place at the end of January.
This was concluded by Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu, former director of the National History Museum in Bucharest. The Drents Museum borrowed the pieces from this museum. Oberländer-Târnoveanu was also the guest curator of the exhibition.
A golden helmet and three golden bracelets were stolen during the theft. The burglars also attempted to steal a second golden helmet, but were unsuccessful. The total value has now been determined at 5.8 million euros.
Oberländer-Târnoveanu was dismissed by the Minister of Culture in the aftermath of the theft. He is still full of questions about how this theft could have happened.
The Romanian museum had previously criticised the Drents Museum because there was no guard present at night. Now questions are also being asked about the smoke protection and the quality of the display cases.
Oberländer-Târnovean indicates that the smoke protection in the museum has failed. Within seconds of an explosion, the exhibition space should have been filled with thick smoke that was impossible to see through. However, the smoke protection started too slowly.
In addition, the former director of the National Historical Museum in Bucharest wonders how it is possible that the display cases in which the art objects were displayed broke so quickly.
The investigation into the stolen archaeological masterpieces from the Drents Museum is still ongoing. The Drents Museum has therefore stated that it does not yet wish to make any statements about the circumstances of the art theft.
Main Image: The golden helmet of Coțofenești at the Drents Museum Courtesy Drents Museum
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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