The first occurred on the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, February 12, 1994. Two men broke into the National Gallery in Oslo, stole the painting and left a note that read: "Thanks for the poor security."
The thieves demanded a ransom of $1 million, which the gallery refused to pay. Norwegian police, in cooperation with British police, recovered the painting intact in May 1996 as part of Operation Sting. The men were convicted, but ultimately escaped punishment because of a breach of legal procedure - British agents entered Norway under false identities.
