Dutch art heist museum left paintings unguarded The stolen paintings, including works by Picasso, Monet and Matisse, were from the prestigious Triton Foundation art collection, which had never been exhibited before and were on display as part of the museum's 20th anniversary celebrations. Emily Ansenk, the museum's director, tried to justify the decision, taken in consultation with insurers, to use alarms and security cameras instead of hiring people to physically guard the premises. But Dutch security experts have criticised the open-plan layout of the museum which means that once thieves are inside there are no barriers allowing access to the whole gallery. Wim van Krimpen, the musueumﾒs former director, admitted that the thieves were able to ﾓcherry pickﾔ pictures, fuelling suspicion that the paintings might have been stolen to order. The pieces they robbed were not hung together. They made a careful, informed choice," he said. In a sign of how badly the museum's security systems worked, police have said that it is still unclear how the thieves entered the building, with the investigation focused on a rear door to the building. The police have put 25 detectives on the case, the same number usually used for a murder investigation but in major setback surveillance images of the night of the break-in have failed to provide any clear leads. The Kunsthal reopened its doors on Wednesday, including the Avant-gardes gallery where the paintings were stolen from.