In the early hours of March 18, 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was the scene of the largest art theft in history. Two men dressed as police officers appeared at the museum’s entrance, claiming to have been called to respond to an emergency call.
Naively, the security guards allowed them access, and once inside, the fake police officers quickly immobilized the guards, binding and gagging them in the basement, taking total control of the museum.
THE ART THEFT OF HISTORY
In an action that lasted 81 minutes, the thieves carried out a targeted selection of works from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and stole 13 pieces including paintings, drawings and art objects. The stolen works included such priceless masterpieces as Vermeer’s The Concert in Three, one of only 36 paintings attributed to the artist; three works by Rembrandt, including his “Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” the only seascape ever painted by the master; several works by Degas, Manet, and a Chinese bronze from the Shang Dynasty era.
The total value of the stolen works was estimated at about $500 million, making the theft the largest unsolved art theft in the world.
THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE THEFT
Investigations into the theft were conducted by the FBI and other security agencies, which examined a wide variety of hypotheses and suspects, including organized crime and illicit art trafficking networks. Over the years, the investigation led to numerous operations, interrogations and searches, but none of the stolen works were recovered and no arrests were made in connection with the theft.
One of the difficulties in the investigation was the lack of hard evidence and credible eyewitnesses, as well as the fact that the museum was not equipped with surveillance cameras at the time of the theft.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum offered a reward for information leading to the recovery of the works, initially set at $5 million and later increased to $10 million.
The reward and investigative efforts generated several leads and reports, but so far none have led to the recovery of the lost artworks.
The theft has had a profound impact on the museum and the international art community, underscoring the importance of museum security and ongoing work to protect and recover cultural heritage.
The story of the theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains shrouded in mystery, with art lovers and art professionals still hoping for a breakthrough and that these priceless works can be returned to their rightful place.
TRIVIA ABOUT THE GREATEST ART THEFT EVER
The total value of the stolen works is estimated to be about $500 million, making this theft one of the largest in art history.
For the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, this was a great loss, and to this day the empty seats left by the stolen works remain waiting for the stolen masterpieces to return to their rightful place, like a silent reminder of the loss suffered.
One of the most fascinating theories is that the theft may have been an act by organized crime to get something in return from the authorities. However, this and other theories have never led to the recovery of the works, so they remain only fanciful hypotheses but lacking concreteness.
The story of the theft of works from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains one of the most intriguing and unsolved chapters in the history of crimes against art. The prolonged absence of these works underscores the difficulty in protecting and recovering priceless cultural assets and the void they leave in society when they disappear.