The Van Gogh Museum confirms that the matter concerns “a number of employees from operational services.” This includes security guards, but also public servants who work in the cloakroom and at the cash register.

The museum does not want to confirm how many people were involved, but sources — who do not want to identify themselves because they still work at the museum — told Het Parol that at least four employees were involved.

The four are said to have misbehaved during a Pokemon exhibition. The museum confirmed that employees have been suspended from work as of mid-December. A museum spokesman says: “We confirm that we view this as an accident.”

Total madness

According to the museum, the staff, one of whom is said to have been working for 25 years, did not adhere to “procedures and codes of conduct” for employees. According to sources, they informed visitors in different ways about the time when they could buy tickets. An employee allegedly made off with a box of Pokemon cards.

The exhibition – which included six paintings of Pokemon in the style of Van Gogh – sparked a state of complete madness among visitors. For example, rare Pikachu cards such as Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait were released after museum research. Last fall, photos of collectors falling on top of each other in the museum store circulated on TikTok and Snapchat.

Selling tickets

Tickets for the museum in September sold out for weeks afterward. The museum stopped issuing the cards in October due to their resale online at high prices.

Anyone who wants to admire Van Gogh’s Pokemon is unfortunately too late: the exhibition ended on January 7.

About the Author: General Correspondent Tahrim Ramadan has been writing for Het Parol since 2019, including daily news, law, youth, discrimination and the southeast region. Tips are welcome [email protected].