The municipality of Maashorst in southern Netherlands accidentally discarded an Andy Warhol print of former Queen Beatrix, along with nearly 50 other artworks, during a town hall renovation. An investigation confirmed the loss. Recovery appears unlikely.
The Maashorst municipality admitted it “most likely” discarded 46 valuable artworks during a town hall renovation last year. The pieces, stored in the basement of Uden town hall during the works, were likely thrown out with the trash due to mishandling.
The missing Warhol print was from his 1985 Reigning Queens series, which includes portraits of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini.
The Beatrix print is valued between $40,000 and $50,000, while the Queen Elizabeth II print could be worth around $250,000, according to art expert Richard Polsky, who noted they were fortunate not to have owned the latter.
Warhol produced the Reigning Queens prints just two years prior to his death. Last November, prints of Queen Beatrix and Queen Ntombi Twala were among four works stolen during a heist at the MPV Gallery in North Brabant, the Netherlands. The thieves ultimately abandoned those two when they could not fit them in their vehicle, according to local police.
An independent investigation cited several failings: poor ownership records, no renovation policies, and a lack of procedures for registering, storing, or conserving the artworks. The storage was unsecured, and when officials later tried to inventory the collection, many pieces were already missing.
The investigation suggested there is a slim chance someone quietly rescued one of the prints, possibly keeping it safer than the municipality did. The investigator warned that if such losses continue, few Warhol prints of Queen Beatrix may remain.
