Lost Art: Uden’s Treasures Likely Disposed During Merger

The municipality of Uden, which was combined into the newly created, larger municipality of Maashorst in 2022, brought tidings of some bad news. They have determined that a large, beautiful trove of art is probably destroyed. An estimated fifty pieces of art valued at about €22,000 have disappeared. An official investigation indicates that 46 of these pieces ended up in bulky waste, probably deep sixed. This regrettable turn of events has brought renewed awareness to the need to better manage, steward, and preserve our precious cultural assets during such political leadership transitions.

The city officials had already planned the artworks as part of their planning for the consolidation. A lack of adequate protection and constant relocations meant the collection was at risk. Unfortunately, in March 2023, an internal leak at the museum damaged some of the pieces with water exposure. This damage made the risk to these invaluable objects even worse. Among the lost artworks was a valuable silkscreen print of Queen Beatrix. This work is one of Andy Warhol’s famous 1985 series, Reigning Queens I, a complete set of 16 rare prints of four monarchs.

This series includes not only Beatrix of the Netherlands but Elizabeth II of England, Margrethe II of Denmark, and Ntombi Twala of Eswatini. These works are incredibly important to more than just their market value. They stood for an important aspect of cultural heritage that is probably permanently destroyed at this point.

The municipality of Maashorst suspects that the artworks ended up in bulky waste due to mismanagement during the merger process. Local officials are disappointed by the turn of events. They pat themselves on the back for allowing the artworks to be left unprotected when they should have been properly protected at all times. The loss highlights the necessity for municipalities to implement better protocols for managing cultural assets, especially during times of transition.