UNSOLVED: The Gardner Museum Theft

Nestled in beautiful greenery in Boston, MA is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The museum was a dream of Isabella Stewart Gardner and her husband, Jack.

"You said to me... that if you ever inherit any money that was yours to dispose of, you would have a house... filled with objects of art, for people to come and enjoy... you have carried out the dream of your youth."

- Ida Agassiz Higginson, Isabella's friend, 1923

This is the largest property theft in history, with the stolen works totaling an astounding half-billion dollar value. Despite several propitious leads, the 1990 heist still remains unsolved. The FBI, US Attorney's Office, and the Gardner Museum are seeking tips and direction for the recovery of the stolen works. There's a $10 million dollar reward for information that leads to the recovery

March of 1990, in the morning hours of the 18th, two uniformed police officers arrived to the museum, claiming to be responding to a call. The security officer allowed the officers through the employee entrance, unaware the men were not officers of the law. Instead, the pair were thieves. They handcuffed both the guard who allowed them in, as well as a second guard on duty. The guards were lead to the basement, where they were tied up and bound with duct tape.

Within eighty-one minutes, the pair of criminals stole thirteen of the museums pieces. The items stolen included works from Rembrandt van Rijn, Govaert Flink, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, the Napoleonic eagle by Pierre-Philippe Thomire, and a 12th century Chinese artifact called "Gu".

Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee and A Lady and Gentleman in Black were physically cut from their frames. Vermeer’s The Concert and Flinck’s Landscape with an Obelisk were removed from the frames, and "Gu" was pulled from a table. A Rembrandt etching, a self-portrait, was ripped from the side of a chest. The duo took two trips to their vehicle, and also made off with five Degas drawings and a bronze eagle finial.

The Dutch Room, where the Rembrandt works were cut from their frames, was equipped with a motion detection system. The security system produced a list of movement, with a message saying "!SOMEONE IS IN THE DUTCH ROOM. INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY!!" Unfortunately, with both security guards bound in the basement, the thieves were able to depart at 2:45 am. The guards remained restrained until 8:15 am, when police finally arrived.

At the time of publishing, the works have to been returned to the museum. The FBI has identified two men they believe are responsible for the theft, but both died a year after the robbery. Between evidence, hotline tips, and speculation, it is believed that the heist was orchestrated by organized crime lord Carmello Merlino.

Carmello Merlino was no stranger to crime. In 1960, he was convicted of robbing an armored vehicle. Merlino was awarded parole in 1980, but sent to prison in 1994 for running a cocaine trafficking ring out of his Dorchester garage. After his arrest in '94, Merlino bragged about having access to the high-profile works. This lead FBI agents to place an informant in his garage, where they recorded him having conversations about the Gardner paintings. Merlino even offered information on the location of a painting stolen in 1985 from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Museum in exchange for leniency on his cocaine-related charges.

According to the FBI, George Reissfelder and Lenny DiMuzio are believed to be the two who donned the false uniforms and stole the thirteen priceless pieces. Both men died one year after the crime, and investigators did not get the opportunity for admission from either.

According to the Associated Press, the FBI have identified a third potential suspect. David Turner, 52, was released in 2019 after serving 21 years in prison for an unrelated planned robbery. The FBI informed Turner that he was a suspect in the heist, and he would receive special considerations during sentencing if he helped solve the crime.

To the Boston Magazine, Turner sent a letter, denying association with the Garner crime. However, he wrote a separate letter from his prison cell to organized crime leader Robert Gentile. In this letter, Turner asked for help in locating the stolen art. Gentile had long been believed to have knowledge of the museum theft, but in spite of his declining health and FBI raids on his residence, Gentile offered no further information or insights.

Anyone with information on the heist is urged to contact Anthony Amore , Gardner Director of Security , at (617) 278-5114 . You may also send information by email to [email protected]. Anonymity is ensured by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Research Materials Used

“Gardner Museum Theft.” Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, www.gardnermuseum.org/organization/theft.

Cascone, Sarah. “A Suspect in the Infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist Has Been Released From Prison After 21 Years.” Artnet News, Artnet News, 14 Nov. 2019, news.artnet.com/art-world/gardner-heist-suspect-released-prison-1703613.

“Carmello Merlino.” The Gardner Museum Case, arttheft.weebly.com/carmello-merlino.html.