Two stolen Vincent van Gogh paintings are back on display, 16 years after being swiped from museum

The painting view of the Sea at Scheveningen (1882) by Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890).  (Getty Images)

Two paintings by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh stolen more than 16 years ago are finally back on public display after the pieces were recovered in 2016.

The paintings -- “View of the Sea at Scheveningen” and “Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen” -- were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in December 2002, The Guardian reported. The works of arts were completed between 1882 and 1885.

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Octave Durham and Henk Bieslijn stole the works of art after breaking into the museum. The “View of the Sea at Scheveningen” was damaged during the robbery and a corner was torn off. Durham was convicted after his DNA matched strands of hair in a hat he dropped at the scene.

“Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen” by Vincent van Gogh. (AP)

Raffaele Imperiale, a mafia boss, purchased the ill-gotten paintings in 2003 for around $393,527. Durham used the money to splurge on motorbikes, vacations and a Mercedes E320. He was arrested in December 2003.

Imperiale admitted to prosecutors in Naples, Italy, that he had the paintings, which were discovered in his mother’s home.

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It took two years to restore the paintings. Unlike “View of the Sea at Scheveningen,” the “Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen” did not sustain much damage. Both were fitted in new frames.

The two paintings can be seen at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.