One of the most perplexing art thefts in history occurred at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston early on March 18, 1990. Cleverly impersonating police, the robbers broke into the museum and stole thirteen extremely valuable works of art, including paintings by Manet, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. The world is left to wonder about the baffling mystery surrounding the stolen paintings as the case is still unsolved more than thirty years later.
The Heist That Changed History
After navigating past the night security guards, the thieves—posing as Boston police officers responding to a disturbance call—were able to enter the museum. After getting inside, they carefully removed the paintings from their frames, creating a haunting scene of empty frames.
Among the stolen works were Vermeer's "The Concert," Rembrandt's "Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee," and Manet's "Chez Tortoni." With an estimated worth of over $500 million, the robbery is the biggest art theft in history.
King of Hearts | Wikimedia Commons
Holes In The Investigation
There are several reasons why the theft from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is still unknown. First of all, we still don't know who the thieves are. No solid leads have surfaced despite the FBI's persistent efforts and a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the recovery of the stolen artwork.
Secondly, the fate of the stolen masterpieces remains just as unknown. Although there have been occasional reports of the paintings' existence, none have been verified beyond a reasonable doubt. The absence of the paintings from the public domain as well as the illicit market has left the art world to speculate about the possible locations of these priceless cultural treasures.
The Possible Suspects Aren't Too Promising
Many theories have surfaced over time to provide some insight into the unresolved case. Some people assume that a criminal group committed the heist intending to utilize the stolen artworks as leverage to get reduced terms for other crimes. Some others think that the paintings were done on a wealthy private collector's commission, but this theory has not been confirmed either.
According to another popular theory, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was involved and was hoping to use the stolen artwork as leverage to get its men out of jail. Nevertheless, these views have not been substantiated by any hard data, and the mystery remains.
Federal Bureau of Investigation | Wikimedia Commons
Still Many Unanswered Questions
Time and the absence of tangible proof have been two major obstacles in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery inquiry. The deaths or disappearances of witnesses and possible suspects make it challenging for detectives to piece together the circumstances leading up to the theft.
Arguably one of the most eerie aspects of the theft was the museum's choice to leave the empty frames where the stolen artworks had hung. The frames are a stark reminder of both the ongoing fight for equality in the art world and the decline of culture. The museum is even more committed to keeping the memory of the stolen treasures alive because Isabella Stewart Gardner's bequest mandated that the artworks must stay in their original order.
