Belgian police are investigating the theft of art worth more than 1.5 million euros (1.96 million dollars), including a piece by Vincent Van Gogh, Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws reported Wednesday. A total of 10 paintings were stolen late Monday from the Van Buuren Museum, on the southern outskirts of Brussels, dpa reported. The most valuable work was The Thinker by 20th century Dutch painter Kees van Dongen, valued at 1.25 million euros. The value of the Van Gogh sketch, of a woman peeling potatoes, was not known. The museum is housed in the former private home of banker and art collector David Van Buuren, who moved there in the 1920s with his wife Alice. "We regret the loss of several pieces of great patrimonial and historical value," said the museum's curator, Isabelle Anspach. The thieves had forced open a French window, setting off the building's alarm system, but they acted so quickly that there was no time for security services to respond. "Everything was done in two minutes," Anspach said, adding that the police had launched an inquiry. The Van Buuren collection features paintings that span five centuries of art, including Flemish and Italian masters, oil paintings by the sons of Bruegel and a piece from the school of Rembrandt, according to its website.
