Heist

On March 18th, 1990, two men posing as policemen overcame the two night watchmen at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and walked out the door with 13 pieces of artwork valued at millions of dollars. To this day, it remains the largest single theft of art in history, and the museum still offers a $10 million dollar reward for the safe return of the artwork, or a portion of the reward for information leading to the return of the stolen works. An additional reward of $100,000 has been offered for the return of a Napoleonic era flagpole finial which was also taken that night.(1)

The current value of the paintings and objects stolen is about $500 million. They include one of the 34 known and attributed works of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer entitled “The Concert”, two Rembrandt paintings entitled “A Storm on the Sea of Galilee” and “A Lady and Gentleman in Black” both of which were cut out of their frames, a small self portrait Rembrandt etching, five sketches by Edgar Degas, a small painting by Édouard Manet entitled “Chez Tortoni” as well as other paintings and objects.(2)

In the years prior to the theft, the museum had struggled to maintain the collection and its security. Isabella Stewart Gardner, the art collector, established her house as a private museum in her will and when she died in 1924, she funded the new institution with a $1 million endowment stipulating that nothing be sold or changed. By the 1980’s, it was common knowledge among museum directors and curators from other institutions that the museum was struggling to stay afloat, maintain security and hire staff at more than minimum wage.

In the early hours of the morning following St. Patrick’s Day, 1990, two policemen parked in a hatchback were observed outside the museum, as stated by witnesses returning from parties. At 1:24 AM, one of the two night watchmen in the museum was called to the door and opened it to two men impersonating policemen. The men explained they had been alerted to movement somewhere in the museum or its garden and asked if anyone else was in the building. The watchman called his coworker, and they were both tied up and gagged. The robbers completed their theft and left the building in a little over an hour, locking the door behind them. In the morning, the next shift of guards, unable to access the building, called the police and the museum director. The door was unlocked, and after a search, the police found the guards still tied and duct taped.

Despite police and FBI involvement, the robbers were never identified with complete certainty. Rumors swirled around the theft, including the identity of the robbers and possible locations of the artworks. Initially one of the guards and an imprisoned local art thief were suspected, but other suspects have included members of the Boston Mafia, the IRA and the Italian Mafia. Many of the suspects have since died or been imprisoned for other crimes. Although the five year statute of limitations has expired for charging the thieves with the original crime, there is no certainty that purchasers or holders of any of the works would be completely exonerated for their roles following the theft. (3) The artwork was variously rumored to have been moved to Connecticut and then Philadelphia, or sold to collectors overseas. Anecdotal evidence has linked pieces to mob members in Massachusetts and Connecticut but none of the information has been formally confirmed. It has now been 31 years and no one knows for certain where the artwork is, or who the robbers were. Because one or two of the pieces taken were of lesser value, it is uncertain whether the two men were acting on their own, were knowledgeable about what they were taking, or were instructed to take certain pieces .

The story surfaces in the news occasionally with a new theory or slender lead, and this April Netflix released a docudrama mini series in four parts about the theft called “This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist”.(4)

If the rumors are correct and the artworks have been divided and distributed, the only chance of return may occur as the current owners die and their family members bring the pieces in for appraisal or if they are willed back to the museum in a round about way. Even though the paintings and drawings are by famous artists, it is doubtful the general population is aware of the theft or would recognize the pieces despite the publicity the event has received. If the pieces are truly in the hands of the mob, an informant might be difficult to come by.

In the meantime, empty frames with the fraying edges of the hacked out paintings hang on the walls of the galleries in deference to the wishes of Isabella Stewart Gardner awaiting the restoration of their precious images.

Cover Image: Vermeer, Johannes The Concert 1664 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (stolen 1990) Image: Wikimedia Commons commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vermeer_The_concert.JPG Original file ‎(1,874 × 2,100 pixels, file size: 1.26 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Access date: June 9, 2021

(1) “Gardner Museum Theft An Active and Ongoing Investigation” gardnermuseum.org/organization/theft

Access date: June 9, 2021

(2)Wikipedia “Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft”en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museum_theft#Stolen_artwork

Access date: June 9, 2021

(3) Kole, William J. “End-of-year deadline approaches on Boston museum theft mystery” Daily Hampshire Gazette /Associated Press Published: 12/26/2017 1:51:36 PM gazettenet.com/Gardner-Museum-tips-deadline-approaches-14537739

Access date: June 9, 2021

(4)Netflix N Series This Is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist 2021 | TV-MA | 1 Season | netflix.com/title/81032570

Access date: June 9, 2021

Other sources and to report information on a stolen artwork belonging to The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum:

Federal Bureau of Investigations “Gardner Museum in Boston Offering $5 Million Reward for Stolen Art” fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-gardner-museum-in-boston-offering-5-million-reward-for-stolen-art/view

Access date: June 9, 2021