A priceless painting was nabbed early Monday morning.

In the early hours of Monday morning, the Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands had its glass front door smashed by a currently unknown perpetrator. The damage set off the museum’s alarm, prompting police action, but by the time the authorities arrived, the perpetrator was gone, along with their prey: a priceless painting from the late Dutch master, Vincent van Gogh.

The painting, entitled “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884,” was on loan to the Singer Laren from the Groninger Museum in the Dutch city of Groningen. However, the museum has been closed for a while due to the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities believe the painting was deliberately stolen at this time to take advantage of the confusion caused by the pandemic.

Jan Rudolph de Lorm, director of the Singer Laren museum, was extremely upset by the theft. “I’m shocked and unbelievably annoyed that this has happened,” he said. “This beautiful and moving painting by one of our greatest artists stolen — removed from the community,” he added. “It is very bad for the Groninger Museum, it is very bad for the Singer, but it is terrible for us all because art exists to be seen and shared by us, the community, to enjoy to draw inspiration from and to draw comfort from, especially in these difficult times.”

Local police are working with a team of forensic investigators and art theft specialists to track down the perpetrator. They are currently analyzing security camera footage and questioning neighbors.