| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 65 cm × 54 cm (26 in × 21 in) |
Poppy Flowers (also known as Vase and Flowers and Vase with Viscaria) is a painting by Vincent van Gogh with an estimated value of $50 million[1] to $55 million;[2] it was stolen from Cairo's Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in August 2010 and is still yet to be found.[3]
Egyptian officials erroneously believed they had recovered the painting only hours after its theft when two Italian suspects attempted to board a plane to Italy at Cairo International Airport.[4] The same painting had been stolen from the same museum on June 4, 1977, and was recovered ten years later[5] in Kuwait.[6]
The painting is small, measuring 65 x 54 cm, and depicts yellow and red poppy flowers.[7] It is believed that van Gogh painted it in 1887, three years before his suicide.[5] The painting, which is of a vase of yellow and red poppies, contrasted against a dark ground is a reflection of Van Gogh's deep admiration for Adolphe Monticelli, an older painter whose work influenced him when first he saw it in Paris in 1886.[8]
In October 2010, an Egyptian court found 11 culture ministry employees, including Deputy Culture Minister Mohsen Shalan, guilty of negligence of their professional duties;[3] they were freed on bail of about $1,750.[3] Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris put up a $175,000 reward for information leading to the painting.