Van Gogh painting stolen from Dutch museum

March 30 (UPI) -- A painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh was stolen in an early morning break-in at the Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands on Monday, museum officials said.

The painting, De Lentetuin, which, in English is known as Spring Garden, the vicarage garden in Nuenen in the spring, was on loan to the museum from the Groninger Museum.

Police said the theft happened around 3:15 a.m. The thief or thieves broke a large glass door at the front of the museum and tripped a burglar alarm.

Authorities said when they arrived at the museum, no suspects were found.

"I am extremely pissed off that this happened. This is a huge blow," museum director Jan Rudolph de Lorm said during a news conference. "This is extremely difficult, especially in these times."

The director of the Groninger Museum, Andreas Blühm, said the Dutch people were the real victims of the theft.

"We are not deterred. We will ensure that it is back as soon as possible," he said.

Officials at the Singer Laren museum said there were no lapses in the facility's security procedures that could have allowed the theft to happen, according to Nos.nl.

The 1884 painting, which is about 15 inches by 28 inches, depicts the garden of the Dutch Reformist Church in Nuenen, which is where van Gogh's father was a vicar.