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Conservation treatment of 'View of the Sea at Scheveningen'

Fourteen years after it was stolen from the Van Gogh Museum, the painting View of the 'Sea at Scheveningen' was recovered in 2016. Since returning to the museum, the work has undergone extensive examination and conservation treatment. Read on for the details.

View of the Sea at Scheveningen and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen have gone back on display on 17 April 2019. The works were recovered in 2016, 14 years after they were stolen from the museum. The works will be given a special place in the museum during the initial months, displayed alongside information about the research and conservation treatment. In mid-September, the work will move to their ‘old’ place in the presentation of the collection, alongside Van Gogh’s other early paintings.

Left: 'View of the Sea at Scheveningen' before the conservation treatment. Right: 'View of the Sea at Scheveningen' after treatment. Photographs: Heleen van Driel

Left: 'View of the Sea at Scheveningen' before the conservation treatment. Right: 'View of the Sea at Scheveningen' after treatment. Photographs: Heleen van Driel.

Restoration treatment of 'View of the Sea at Scheveningen'

Van Gogh painted View of the Sea at Scheveningen in The Hague (1881-1883). It is the only work in the museum’s collection from this period, and is one of only two seascapes that he painted in the Netherlands. It is also a significant example of the artist’s early painting style; his highly individual character is already expressed in this work.

Treating of the church

In addition to View of the Sea at Scheveningen, the work Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen was also recovered and treated by conservators. Read more about the research and the restoration process of this work.