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A Picture of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Written By Tuesday, April 26, 2022 Add Comment Edit
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The biggest art theft in history occurred at the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum, in Boston, Massachusetts. On March 18, 1990, two burglars bankrupt into the museum and made off with 13 works of fine art, worth half a billion dollars. Despite a thorough investigation and several promising leads, the Gardner theft remains unsolved to this day. While the details of the theft have been widely publicized, many folks don't know much nearly the history of the museum and the incredible woman who started information technology all.

Gardner established the popular fine art museum in Boston to hold her massive and valuable fine art drove. The museum is home to over vii,500 pieces of art, including paintings, piece of furniture, silverish, sculptures, textiles, ceramics and 1,500 rare books. The bulk of the masterpieces came from ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy and Asia.

Let's take a look at the events that led to Gardner's beloved for art, the museum'due south beginnings and the largest art heist in history.

Stewart Gardner's Global Upbringing

Stewart Gardner was born in New York City on April 14, 1840. Her father, David Stewart, made a living by importing Irish gaelic linen. Growing upwards, she lived in University Identify in Manhattan.

When she turned 16, Gardner moved to Paris with her family and completed her education abroad, allowing her to larn firsthand about Renaissance art. In 1858, the family moved back to New York. Shortly after, Gardner went to Boston to visit a former Paris classmate, Julia Gardner. Gardner introduced Stewart Gardner to her brother, John "Jack" Lowell Gardner Jr.

Stewart Gardner'southward Marriage and Family Life

Jack Gardner was in the banking business organisation and a member of Boston's upper class. Two years after Stewart Gardner met Jack Gardner in Boston, the 2 decided to tie the knot.

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On April ten, 1860, Stewart Gardner and Jack Gardner married at Grace Church building in New York City. Stewart Gardner'south father gifted the newlyweds a house at 152 Buoy Street in Boston. The Gardners started a life together in their new Boston home, which was located on the Dorsum Bay's richest street. Shortly later, the Gardner's had a son, John Lowell Gardner III, born June 18, 1863. The new parents nicknamed their son "Jackie."

Stewart Gardner'due south Travel to Heal A Cleaved Heart

In the mid-1860s, a series of unfortunate events struck Stewart Gardner'south life. Her son, Jackie, died from pneumonia at less than two years old in 1865. A year afterwards, Stewart Gardner suffered a well-nigh-fatal miscarriage and establish out she was unable to have more children. Around the same fourth dimension, her sister-in-law and close friend, Julia Gardner, passed away.

The terrible news left Isabella Stewart Gardner heartbroken and depressed. On the advice of her doctor, in 1876, the Gardners traveled to Paris, Scandinavia and Russia for a year. During the trip, Stewart Gardner'due south health improved and she created scrapbooks of her adventures.

A Passion For Collecting Art Emerges

Stewart Gardner's trip to Europe and Russia fabricated her eager to run across the rest of the world. In 1874, the Gardners traveled to the Middle E, Europe and Paris. The couple explored America, Europe and Asia in the late 1880s. During their adventures abroad, the couple gained an even greater noesis of the arts and culture.

The Gardners started collecting art in Europe. When Stewart Gardner inherited $1.75 million from her father, she focused on growing her collection of European fine fine art. "The Concert" by Johannes Vermeer was one of her first purchases. From Arab republic of egypt to the Far East, the Gardners collected paintings and statues from around the globe in the late 1890s. The Gardners as well began obtaining tapestries, photographs, silvery and manuscripts during their travels. Venice, Italia, became her favorite urban center to visit considering artists oft visited the Palazzo Barbaro, where the Gardners stayed. She became a regular at the palazzo, spending time with the artists and purchasing art.

She Asked Male person Associates to Purchase Art on Her Behalf

Stewart Gardner became known for her massive art collection, just many people didn't know that her male friends helped her acquire some of her pieces. Art historian Bernard Berenson assisted her in acquiring virtually lxx pieces solitary. In the 1890s, most art collectors were men; it was rare for women to collect fine art.

Fine art curator Christina Nielsen explained the sale procedure to WBUR, saying, "She has a man bid on her behalf. She sits in the dorsum of the room, and she's got a handkerchief over her face. Her main competitors were the National Gallery in London and the Louvre that 24-hour interval. And they realized they were bidding against each other — and so they did a sort of gentlemanly bowing out. Meanwhile, her agent swooped in and bought the picture and of a sudden Isabella Stewart Gardner was a well-known name in the art world overnight."

Isabella Built the Museum After Her Married man's Death

Past 1896, the Gardners discovered their enormous art drove barely fit in their Boston home. The couple dreamed of building a museum where they could keep their behemothic drove. However, Jack Gardner suddenly died of a stroke in 1898.

Later her husband'south death, Stewart Gardner worked hard to brand their dream come up truthful. She bought a piece of land in the Fens of England and hired architect Willard T. Sears to draw up museum models inspired by Venice's Renaissance architecture. While Sears was in charge of constructing the museum, Stewart Gardner dictated the museum's blueprint. When structure of the museum was completed in 1901, Gardner moved into the living quarters on the fourth floor and installed her collection throughout the museum portion of the building.

The Museum'south Artwork Was Deliberately Arranged to Build a Narrative

For a year, Gardner advisedly installed each of the items on the first three floors of the museum. Every slice was purposely assembled in different rooms to create a story. Gardner wanted to inspire others to fall in love with the art, rather than simply learn about the fine art's history. Some pieces didn't even provide information nigh the painter or date of origin.

Gardner placed Titian's masterpiece "The Rape of Europa" in the Titian Room. The Titian masterpiece sits above a small piece of Stewart Gardner's stake dark-green silk gown designed by Charles Frederick Worth. In the Dutch Room, Gardner organized famous works by European artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein.

The Museum'southward Other Items

Not just did the museum feature famous paintings, but it also presented rare books, manuscripts, furniture, tapestries, sculptures and decorative art pieces from the Gardner'south travels. Many rooms displayed a mixture of these different pieces from various cultures and periods.

The Early Italian Room highlights Italian Gothic and Renaissance art. These paintings are surrounded by piece of furniture and other decorative articles from different periods and cultures across Europe, Egypt, the Center East and Asia. The Dutch Room includes Italian, Dutch and English pieces such as an Italian nightstand, a Dutch saccharide bowl and a Dutch salt cellar.

Artists Spent Time at the Museum

The grand opening of the museum was Jan. 1, 1903. Guests indulged in champagne and donuts while members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed. Scholar Charles Eliot Norton, philosopher William James, and symphony founder Henry Higginson attended the improvident celebration. On February. 23, 1903, she welcomed the public into the museum.

Stewart Gardner as well encouraged many artists, performers and scholars to visit the museum, such as John Singer Sargent, Charles Martin Loeffler and Ruth St. Denis. Sargent used the museum'due south Gothic Room every bit a painting studio, while Loeffler posed as his model. Denis danced in the Cloisters, performing her signature piece, The Cobra. Stewart Gardner wanted the artists to notice inspiration from her beautiful collection and the museum'southward Venetian designs.

Standing Her Legacy

Stewart Gardner continued to grow her art collection and personally installed the pieces in the museum for the balance of her life. She passed away July 17, 1924, later on suffering a series of strokes. Although Stewart Gardner was no longer living, she still dictated the museum's future.

According to her volition, the museum must remain open "for the teaching and enjoyment of the public forever." Information technology also specifies that nothing in the museum tin be sold, relocated or removed. The museum was to exist maintained the mode she left it, pregnant new pieces weren't allowed either. The collection remained untouched until March 18, 1990 — after 13 pieces valued at $500 one thousand thousand were stolen.

Suspects Arrived in False Police Uniforms

As Bostonians historic St. Patrick'due south Mean solar day during the early on hours of March 18, 1990, 2 thieves sat inside a red Dodge Daytona on Palace Road nigh the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The two men were disguised equally law officers and one of them had on a fake wax mustache.

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For almost an 60 minutes, the two criminals waited in their car to avoid the St. Patrick's Day party goers. As the crowd dispersed, the 2 thieves began their elaborate programme. They exited their vehicle, walked to the entrance of the museum and pressed the buzzer near the door at 1:24 a.thou.

A Museum Security Guard Let the Thieves In

The museum had 2 security guards on duty that dark. After the first baby-sit, Richard Abath, patrolled the museum, he came dorsum to the front desk to change positions with the other guard. Abath heard the buzzer and saw two men outside. They told Abath they were police officers who had heard a commotion in the museum's courtyard, and asked to enter the edifice.

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Although Abath knew that guards weren't allowed to open the door to uninvited guests, he wasn't certain if the protocol also practical to law officers. Abath believed the men because of their uniforms. While the other baby-sit patrolled the galleries, Abath allowed the disguised men to enter.

Handcuffed and Tied

The thieves walked to the front desk, where Abath was stationed. I of the intruders told Abath his face seemed familiar and that there was a warrant for his arrest. Abath, confused, left the front desk expanse, where the only alarm button was located. The thieves immediately forced Abath to confront the wall and handcuffed him. Abath thought the arrest was a error, but apace noticed the intruders didn't search him earlier putting him in handcuffs. He also realized one of the thieves wore a fake mustache.

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A few minutes later, Abath's partner returned to the front desk and the thieves handcuffed him, too. The thieves and then revealed they came to rob the museum. The robbers took the guards to the basement, where they handcuffed them to pipes and wrapped their heads, hands, and feet with duct tape. The criminals moved on to the galleries to beginning their heist.

81 Minutes to Complete the Largest Theft in History

The museum's motility detectors recorded the thieves' movements. First, the robbers entered the Dutch Room and approached Rembrandt's "Self-Portrait," simply the local alarm went off. The thieves smashed the warning. After taking the "Self-Portrait" off the wall, the 2 men unsuccessfully tried to remove the painting from its wooden console. They left the painting on the floor instead.

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The thieves went on to cutting Rembrandt's "Christ in the Storm on the Ocean of Galilee" and "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" from the frames. Side by side, they took Vermeer's "The Concert" and Govaert Flinck'due south "Mural with an Obelisk." The criminals stole a total of 13 pieces throughout the museum including a Chinese Bronze Gu, v Degas drawings, and an eagle finial. The robbery occurred in 81 minutes. At 8:15 a.chiliad., police force arrived at the scene and plant the guards tied up in the basement.

The FBI Institute No Motive or Pattern

Believing that the stolen pieces would cross state lines, the FBI speedily took over the example. The FBI thought the perpetrators were part of a criminal organization from the mid-Atlantic and New England. Throughout the investigation, the FBI held hundreds of interviews including with American drug lords and erstwhile museum guards.

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In addition, the FBI worked with many specialists, including top individual investigators, Japanese and French regime, museum directors and art dealers. Although the FBI nerveless over a m pages of bear witness, the investigation uncovered no single motive or pattern. The FBI agent in accuse of the Stewart Gardner example, Geoffrey J. Kelly, has mentioned that the FBI knew the identities of the criminals, but Kelly didn't say if the suspects remained expressionless or live. Kelly has provided no further comment on the identities.

A Few Theories Near the Art Heist Take Surfaced

One theory investigated by the FBI was that the heist was planned and carried out past the Irish Republican Ground forces, with the goal of somewhen leveraging information to release their members from prison. A different theory suggested Boston's pinnacle offense boss, Whitey Bulgar, organized the robbery. The FBI also had a theory that Myles J. Connor Jr. arranged the crime before he became New England's height fine art thief.

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In 2009, the Stewart Gardner Museum's director of security, Anthony Affection, heard a strange rumor. Amore said, "One bizarre theory was from people who say Mrs. Gardner speaks to them and tells them who stole the paintings. Likewise, others say mythical figures have spoken to them nigh the thefts."

One of the Primary Suspects Was Boston Gangster Robert Donati

Boston gangster Robert "Bobby" Donati became the FBI's top suspect during the investigation. In 1997, Connor claimed Donati was his accomplice in organizing the Gardner robbery. Connor and Donati visited the museum together a few times before the theft. As well before the robbery, Donati went to a nightclub chosen The Shack, where he was seen carrying a bag of police uniforms.

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During the 1990 robbery, Connor remained in prison, simply he said Donati managed the heist. In 1991, Donati was murdered. According to the New York Daily News, he may have been a victim in a gang war. The FBI eventually threw out Donati as a lead suspect.

Another Main Suspect Was Robert "Bobby the Cook" Gentile

Gangster Robert "Bobby the Cook" Gentile was too on the FBI's radar equally a possible doubtable. The FBI believed he held some of the paintings from the Gardner Museum heist. In 2012, the FBI raided his abode in Manchester, Connecticut, after the FBI brought drug charges against Gentile. The FBI institute nothing in the raid except for a list of how much each stolen piece would cost on the blackness market. However, Gentile said he was innocent and knew nil about the robbery.

After in 2016, the FBI filed gun charges against Gentile to force him to talk about the location of the stolen art pieces. The federal prosecutor, John H. Durham, claimed Gentile and his mob partner Robert Guarente attempted to return two stolen artworks to reduce a prison sentence for 1 of Guarente's associates. Also, Guarente'south married woman insisted Gentile possessed a few of the stolen paintings. Gentile'south lawyer argued against these claims and said that Gentile didn't know annihilation about the heist. In 2018, Gentile was sentenced to 54 months in prison on gun charges, just still hasn't admitted to any knowledge about the whereabouts of the paintings.

A Few Leads Included a Letter and a New Video

In 1994, museum director Anne Hawley received a letter of the alphabet that bodacious the return of the stolen pieces for $ii.6 million. The letter writer demanded that the museum get The Boston Globe to print a coded message in the business section. Although the paper published the message, the mysterious writer disappeared afterward learning law enforcement were involved.

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On Aug. 6, 2015, the U.S. Chaser's Office released a video that was taped the night before the heist at the Gardner Museum. On the six-minute video, two men appear at the archway of the museum. Ane man was identified as Abath, the security guard who was tied upward during the robbery. The other homo remains unknown. Authorities have asked for the public's help to identify him in the footage. The video shows Abath buzzing the unidentified human being into the museum twice. The human being stayed in the lobby for a couple of minutes, exited and left in a car.

Deoxyribonucleic acid Collected at The Crime Scene Went Missing

After the robbery in 1990, police force nerveless traces of Deoxyribonucleic acid from the duct record and handcuffs that the thieves used to concord the museum'due south security guards. In 2010, the FBI wanted to retest the evidence due to recent improvements in Deoxyribonucleic acid analysis, hoping the new examination would help observe the thieves. Nevertheless, the evidence containing the DNA had disappeared.

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The FBI conducted a search for the law-breaking scene evidence, but information technology was nowhere to be found. Investigators don't know when the testify went missing, but bearding sources claimed the evidence had been gone for over a decade. The FBI also doesn't know if the items were misplaced, stolen or disposed of. The missing evidence became another setback for the Stewart Gardner case, which remains unsolved to this day.

A True-Crime Podcast Investigated the Unsolved Art Heist Mystery

In 2018, WBUR, a public radio station, collaborated with The Boston World to produce a 10-office podcast covering the fine art heist mystery. The podcast, "Last Seen," covers the robbery, the suspects, people continued to the case and the FBI'due south investigation.

The squad, led by WBUR members Kelly Horan and Jack Rodolico, researched the mystery for a year. The podcast features many interviews, including one with security baby-sit Abath and his partner from the night of the criminal offence. The museum's manager of security, Amore, says, "Things like this podcast that can reach a large audition are important for keeping the story alive in people's minds and reminding the public that we're never going to stop looking for the stolen fine art."

A Documentary and Book Covering the Offense Was Released

In 2005, a documentary film called "Stolen" past Rebecca Dreyfus featured the famous heist. The documentary follows art detective, Harold Smith, as he looks into the robbery's investigation and the 13 seized pieces. Smith chats with contemporary authors near Stewart Gardner's reputation as a famous art connoisseur and the works of Dutch painter Vermeer.

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum printed a pictorial book too named "Stolen" in 2018. "Stolen" provides information about the 13 stolen works of fine art and contains essays from primal staff members including Amore and Nielsen. Museum guests ofttimes ask for more details on the missing pieces, which inspired the museum to produce "Stolen."

The Famous Heist Is Mentioned Throughout Popular Civilization

Many TV shows accept featured the offense, including "The Black List," "The Simpsons" and "Drunkard History." In "The Black List," the episode "The Courier" features a criminal named Raymond Reddington looking at Rembrandt's painting "Christ in The Storm on the Sea of Galilee."

"The Simpsons" has an episode in which Mr. Burns possesses stolen fine art from the Stewart Gardner Museum at Burns Manor. As a result, the police abort Mr. Burns and throw him in prison. In "Drunk History," the episode "Boston" features two criminals struggling to steal art and doing whatever they can to consummate the heist.

Some of the Stolen Paintings

Govaert Flinck's "Landscape with an Obelisk" from 1638 is 1 of the stolen works of art. The robbers took Flinck's painting from the museum's Dutch Room. Many art enthusiasts initially believed the picture belonged to the painter Rembrandt, but they later on learned Flinck was the possessor. Dutch painter Flinck was really a student of Rembrandt, who helped influence his work.

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Flinck created "Landscape with an Obelisk" using oil on wood. The beautiful painting features a stormy day, a fantasy landscape and an obelisk inspired by one that's nigh Amsterdam. The movie also includes a bridge and a minor man on a horse.

The Painting "Chez Tortoni" Was Another Missing Slice

Another missing painting is Édouard Manet'southward "Chez Tortoni" from effectually 1875. The museum's Blueish Room used to concord Manet's famous artwork. Manet was known to create paintings in cafes that resembled snapshots.

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Manet's painting illustrates a beau with a mustache and a top hat sitting in the Café Tortoni de Paris. The man is holding a pencil in his hand and writing on newspaper. The man'south eyes are positioned looking directly at the slice's viewer. Additionally, a glass of wine sits on the gentleman'due south table. WBUR describes the picture's brush strokes as broad and tactile.

"La Sortie de Pesage" and "Three Mounted Jockeys" by Degas Were Stolen

Several Edgar Degas works disappeared in the heist, including "La Sortie de Pesage" and "3 Mounted Jockeys." These two paintings used to hang in the museum'southward Short Gallery. Degas, a French artist, was pop for drawing dancers, but in "La Sortie de Pesage" he illustrated a crowd of people, a jockey and a equus caballus using pencil and watercolor. No one knows when Degas created "La Sortie de Pesage."

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The thieves also stole the Degas painting "Three Mounted Jockeys" from around 1885. Degas created the piece with black ink and oil pigments. While one jockey sits upright on a horse, the other two jockeys are upside down in the painting.

"Plan for an Artistic Soirée" One and Ii Were Taken

A couple more than Degas works that vanished include "Program for an Artistic Soirée" and "Program for an Artistic Soirée, Study 2" from 1884. The criminals removed these Degas drawings from the Short Gallery'south cabinets. Stewart Gardner had assembled the cabinets herself to showcase the artwork.

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Degas sketched the drawings with charcoal on white newspaper, which features the skirt and legs of a dancer. The drawing also includes a woman belongings an open up booklet and a human being in a hat and wig next to a musical instrument. The 2nd "Program for an Artistic Soiree" appears more finished than the get-go sketch.

"Cortège aux Surround de Florence" and a Few Works By Rembrandt

Still another Degas, the sketch "Cortege aux Environs de Florence" and a few Rembrandt works were also stolen. "Cortege aux Surroundings de Florence" used to be displayed in the Short Gallery. Degas drew the artwork with a pencil and used a sepia launder on paper. The sketch illustrates a railroad vehicle with horses, a woman with a behemothic umbrella and iii women who may be dancing. He finished this sketch around 1857.

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Other missing works include Rembrandt's "A Lady And Gentleman In Black" and his near famous painting "Christ In The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee" from 1633. The criminals stole both paintings from the museum's Dutch Room. The thieves also fabricated off with his tiny sketch titled "Portrait Of The Artist As A Beau" from 1633. The sketch features Rembrandt's serious face up with untidy hair. The thieves attempted to seize Rembrandt's "Cocky-Portrait" oil painting, only the job was unsuccessful.

The Thieves Likewise Took a Gu, a Finial and Vermeer's "The Concert"

From the museum'south Dutch Room, the criminals made off with a Chinese Gu (a bronze beaker) from 12th century BC. According to WBUR, the Gu was one of the near elegant and oldest pieces in the museum. Another item removed from the museum was the bronze French Eagle finial from around 1813. The eagle was attached to a flagpole from Napoleon's First Regiment of Imperial Guard. Although the eagle is gone, the flag remains in the museum.

WBUR reports that Vermeer's "The Concert" is the rarest and well-nigh valuable of the stolen works because few of his paintings exist. Vermeer's painting is priced at $200 1000000. "The Concert" features three musicians surrounding a pianoforte and a black-and-white tiled floor.

The Museum and FBI Are Still Looking for New Leads

Although the Gardner example collected some promising leads, the identities of the criminals and the whereabouts of the thirteen pieces remain a mystery. To this twenty-four hours, empty frames of the missing paintings hang on the walls. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum hopes that the stolen pieces volition one day be returned. Currently, the museum is offering a $ten one thousand thousand reward for information that tin can assist recover the stolen pieces.

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The FBI, the museum and the U.S. attorney's office continue to search for new leads. The museum encourages anyone with information to reach out to the Stewart Gardner Museum. The museum's director says "I've spent more than a decade preparing for whatever scenario. I'one thousand very gear up. I'll get anywhere. I'll meet with the devil for these paintings."

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