The Dutch municipality of Maashorst accidentally threw out a valuable Andy Warhol silk-screen print of former Queen Beatrix, along with nearly 50 other artworks, during a town hall renovation. An independent investigation commissioned by the municipality, first reported by the New York Times, was inconclusive, and officials acknowledged the error in a letter to the council, stating that recovery of the missing works is unlikely. The Warhol print, from the Reigning Queens series (1985), is valued between $40,000 and $50,000.
This incident highlights serious lapses in the stewardship of public art collections by local governments, raising questions about how valuable artworks are stored and disposed of during municipal renovations. It also underscores the cultural and financial significance of Warhol's Reigning Queens series in the Netherlands, especially following a recent theft of four prints from the same series in November, two of which were later recovered. The blunder has drawn international attention and criticism, with art detective Arthur Brand noting that such negligence could deplete the country's Warhol holdings.