OK. So we’ve all heard about the “now you see it, now you don’t” Van Gogh painting theft from the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo. The painting, Poppy Flowers, was stolen (for the second time) on Saturday. Then it was reported recovered. Then it was reported that the recovery report was a mistake. The country’s in an uproar when it was discovered that only 7 out of 43 security cameras were functioning and security was- to put it delicately- almost non-existent for the museum’s $1billion collection.
But here’s the underreported tragedy that went along with it-
The media crowd who came to cover the event “stumbled over a statue of Cupid, which shattered on the marble floor of the entrance courtyard, raising cries of despair from museum staff.” according to the Bloomberg Report. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-22/van-gogh-55-million-poppy-flowers-theft-in-cairo-blamed-on-lax-security.html
An Egyptian source cried out, “This Cupid statue’s value was estimated by millions too considering its history !! Already I do not know what it was doing at the garden when it was supposed to be inside according to those who working at the museum.” http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/08/breaking-news-cupid-is-smashed-in.html
You may note a change of form of this blog. Because life is overtaking me (again) and I feel getting this news to you is more important than writing the deathless prose I usually do about my topics, I’ve decided that for the time being, my entries will be more link and less text…
More later…
