Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands opens the exhibition "Queens by Andy Warhol" at Palace Het Loo on October 10, 2024 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. In 1985, Andy Warhol made portraits of the four reigning Queens at that time: Beatrix of The Netherlands, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Ntombi Twala of Swaziland. Getty Images

A southern Dutch municipality said Thursday it "most likely" accidentally dumped 46 precious artworks including one by Pop Art master Andy Warhol during a town hall renovation last year.

The Maashorst municipality said the works, including a rare 1980s Warhol silkscreen print of the country's former monarch Princess Beatrix, disappeared during work on the town hall in Uden, when that borough was incorporated into a new local administration.

"It's most likely that the artworks were accidentally taken away with the trash," the Maashorst municipality said in a statement.

The artworks were stored in a basement during the renovations "but researchers concluded that they were not handled with care," local broadcaster Omroep Brabant reported.

When the new Maashorst municipality wanted to take an inventory of the paintings, it was found that dozens were missing.

Criminal charges were laid and the municipality employed an independent investigations agency to try to found out what happened to the artworks.

The agency concluded there were several reasons why the artworks could have landed in the dustbin.

"Ownership was not properly established, no policies and procedures were established regarding the renovation and insufficient action was taken when the artworks turned out to be missing," it said.

"Nor were there any guidelines for the registration, storage, conservation and security of the artworks," it added.

The Maashorst municipality said it was unlikely that the artworks will ever be found.

"This is not how you treat valuable items," Maashorst's mayor Hans van der Pas told Omroep Brabant.

"But it happened. We regret that," he said.

The Maashorst municipality said the investigation of the missing artworks was conducted from November to March and submitted its final report this month. The findings will not be made fully public to protect the privacy of the interviewees.

Last November, officials said thieves used explosives to steal four works by Warhol — including a print of Queen Beatrix — from a different gallery in the south of the Netherlands, with two of the screenprints being abandoned nearby. Gallery owner Mark Peet Visser told The Associated Press that the thieves attempted to make off with all four works from Warhol's 1985 series called "Reigning Queens."

The works depicting Queen Beatrix and Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Swaziland were found abandoned on the street.

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