At least 24 works of art which hung in the Slotervaart hospital before its bankruptcy in October 2018 have gone missing and may have been stolen, Amsterdam council officials have confirmed.

In total, 38 paintings and sculptures owned by the city were loaned to the hospital over the years but only 14 of them have been found. Officials have now made a formal police report about the missing items but have not given further details about what was actually stolen.

The hospital’s total collection at the time of the bankruptcy ran to 195 pieces, including the 14 items on loan from the city.

The city hopes that by making a formal report of the thefts that it will be alerted if any of the pieces come up for sale at auction.

All the art which belonged to the hospital is now being assessed by experts to decide what should be kept and what sold.

The collection include a glass wall created by Karel Appel and described by experts as ‘important, monumental and unique’.