On June 28th at 11:30am, four armed robbers obtained a sledgehammer and smashed open a display case with jewelry in TEFAF, The European Fine Art Foundation. Marian Bies-de Wolf, a worker at the art foundation, witnessed the group sprinting through the hallways. In a telephone interview, it was admitted that it was a “strange sight” because “nobody runs at TEFAF.”
Miss Bies-de Wolf continues that the thieves “started bashing up” a display case which is owned by the London Jewelry dealer, Symbolic and Chase. Hours after the break-in, the Dutch police finally disclosed that the four men had taken jewelry. Two people from Belgium have been arrested and investigation is still going for other people involved.
TEFAF showcases jewelry and fine art. Symbolic & Chase are one of the numerous dealers in this year’s showcase. In one Instagram feed, it can be shown that they have diamonds and cultural accessories. TEFAF organizers posted that the fair was “temporarily evacuated due to an incident at the fair.”
They did not include in their Twitter post that there was a robbery. James Butterwick, a British dealer, claims that the event lasted about 30 seconds and the robbers were “after specific items” like diamonds. The NOS, a media company, was told, “The broken display case is far away from the entrance and there is security, by the various emergency exits too.” Mr. Butterwick attest that there was no suspicious activity that had to involve security.
This is not the first time TEFAF has been the victim of a robbery. In 2008, robbers stole a diamond necklace from the art show. Then, in 2010, a ring and a necklace were stolen from a booth run by Hancocks, another London jewelry store.
Thankfully, “[n]nobody was injured during the incident,” TEFAF concluded in a statement.
Links:
● https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656880691665x229384551448571940/Thieves%20Hit%20TEFAF%20Art%20Fair%20in%20Daylight%20Heist%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
● https://hyperallergic.com/743861/tefaf-maastricht-fair-evacuated-after-armed-jewelry-heist/
Miss Bies-de Wolf continues that the thieves “started bashing up” a display case which is owned by the London Jewelry dealer, Symbolic and Chase. Hours after the break-in, the Dutch police finally disclosed that the four men had taken jewelry. Two people from Belgium have been arrested and investigation is still going for other people involved.
TEFAF showcases jewelry and fine art. Symbolic & Chase are one of the numerous dealers in this year’s showcase. In one Instagram feed, it can be shown that they have diamonds and cultural accessories. TEFAF organizers posted that the fair was “temporarily evacuated due to an incident at the fair.”
They did not include in their Twitter post that there was a robbery. James Butterwick, a British dealer, claims that the event lasted about 30 seconds and the robbers were “after specific items” like diamonds. The NOS, a media company, was told, “The broken display case is far away from the entrance and there is security, by the various emergency exits too.” Mr. Butterwick attest that there was no suspicious activity that had to involve security.
This is not the first time TEFAF has been the victim of a robbery. In 2008, robbers stole a diamond necklace from the art show. Then, in 2010, a ring and a necklace were stolen from a booth run by Hancocks, another London jewelry store.
Thankfully, “[n]nobody was injured during the incident,” TEFAF concluded in a statement.
Links:
● https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656880691665x229384551448571940/Thieves%20Hit%20TEFAF%20Art%20Fair%20in%20Daylight%20Heist%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
● https://hyperallergic.com/743861/tefaf-maastricht-fair-evacuated-after-armed-jewelry-heist/
