Emily Chan
The biggest art heist in history occurred 34 years ago at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1990, two thieves trespassed into the museum, taking off with a total of 13 works of art that amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. The robbery is also considered the largest property theft in the world.
The investigation into the well-known crime is still active and ongoing today. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is offering a $10 million reward for anyone who has information that can help authorities recover the art safely. So, how did the heist happen?
In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men disguised as police officers arrived at the side entrance of the museum, claiming that they were responding to a call about a disturbance.
The guard on duty went against protocol and let them in. Then, the fake cops tied him up, along with a second security guard.
The thieves remained in the museum for 81 minutes before departing with 13 pieces of art from famous painters. The museum’s motion detectors were able to record their movements.
The duo cut two pieces by Rembrandt out of their frames in the Dutch Room—Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee and A Lady and Gentleman in Black.
They also removed Vermeer’s The Concert, Flinck’s Landscape with an Obelisk, an ancient Chinese bronze beaker, and a small self-portrait by Rembrandt.
In the Short Gallery, they stole five Degas drawings and a bronze eagle ornament. From the Blue Room, they swiped Manet’s Chez Tortoni. At 2:45 in the morning, the thieves left with the artwork. The police didn’t arrive until 8:15.
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