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School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston Historic Photos

Written By Friday, April 29, 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 fabricated off with 13 works of art, worth half a billion dollars. Despite a thorough investigation and several promising leads, the Gardner theft remains unsolved to this 24-hour interval. While the details of the theft have been widely publicized, many folks don't know much well-nigh the history of the museum and the incredible woman who started it all.

Gardner established the popular fine art museum in Boston to hold her massive and valuable fine art collection. The museum is habitation to over vii,500 pieces of fine art, including paintings, furniture, argent, sculptures, textiles, ceramics and 1,500 rare books. The bulk of the masterpieces came from aboriginal Rome, Medieval Europe, Renaissance Italia and Asia.

Allow's have a expect at the events that led to Gardner'southward love for fine art, the museum'southward beginnings and the largest art heist in history.

Stewart Gardner'south Global Upbringing

Stewart Gardner was born in New York Urban eye on April fourteen, 1840. Her begetter, David Stewart, made a living by importing Irish linen. Growing up, she lived in Academy Place in Manhattan.

When she turned 16, Gardner moved to Paris with her family and completed her education abroad, assuasive her to larn firsthand nigh Renaissance art. In 1858, the family moved back to New York. Shortly later on on, Gardner went to Boston to visit a one-time Paris classmate, Julia Gardner. Gardner introduced Stewart Gardner to her claret brother, John "Jack" Lowell Gardner Jr.

Stewart Gardner's Union and Family Life

Jack Gardner was in the banking business business concern and a member of Boston's upper class. Two years later on Stewart Gardner met Jack Gardner in Boston, the 2 decided to necktie the knot.

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On April 10, 1860, Stewart Gardner and Jack Gardner married at Grace Church building building in New York Metropolis. Stewart Gardner's male person parent gifted the newlyweds a house at 152 Beacon Street in Boston. The Gardners started a life together in their new Boston abode, which was located on the Back Bay'due south richest street. Shortly later on, the Gardner'due south had a son, John Lowell Gardner Three, born June eighteen, 1863. The new parents nicknamed their son "Jackie."

Stewart Gardner'due south Travel to Heal A Cleaved Eye

In the mid-1860s, a series of unfortunate events struck Stewart Gardner'southward life. Her son, Jackie, died from pneumonia at less than two years onetime in 1865. A yr subsequently, Stewart Gardner suffered a well-almost-fatal miscarriage and establish out she was unable to accept 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 physician, in 1876, the Gardners traveled to Paris, Scandinavia and Russian federation for a yr. During the trip, Stewart Gardner'due south health improved and she created scrapbooks of her adventures.

A Passion For Collecting Fine art Emerges

Stewart Gardner's trip to Europe and Russia made her eager to see the residuum of the earth. In 1874, the Gardners traveled to the Eye East, Europe and Paris. The couple explored America, Europe and Asia in the tardily 1880s. During their adventures abroad, the couple gained an even greater knowledge of the arts and culture.

The Gardners started collecting art in Europe. When Stewart Gardner inherited $i.75 1000000 from her father, she focused on growing her collection of European fine art. "The Concert" by Johannes Vermeer was ane of her first purchases. From Egypt to the Far E, the Gardners collected paintings and statues from around the world in the tardily 1890s. The Gardners besides began obtaining tapestries, photographs, silvery and manuscripts during their travels. Venice, Italy, 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 Associates to Purchase Art on Her Behalf

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

Fine art curator Christina Nielsen explained the auction procedure to WBUR, saying, "She has a homo being bid on her behalf. She sits in the back of the room, and she's got a handkerchief over her confront. Her primary competitors were the National Gallery in London and the Louvre that twenty-four hour menses. And they realized they were bidding against each other — and so they did a sort of gentlemanly bowing out. Meanwhile, her amanuensis swooped in and bought the picture and suddenly Isabella Stewart Gardner was a well-known name in the art earth overnight."

Isabella Built the Museum After Her Husband's Death

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

After her married man'due south expiry, Stewart Gardner worked hard to brand their dream come true. She bought a piece of land in the Fens of England and hired architect Willard T. Sears to depict upwards museum models inspired by Venice'southward Renaissance compages. While Sears was in charge of amalgam the museum, Stewart Gardner dictated the museum's design. When construction 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'southward Artwork Was Deliberately Bundled to Build a Narrative

For a year, Gardner carefully installed each of the items on the first 3 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 fine fine art, rather than just learn nigh the art'southward history. Some pieces didn't even provide data about the painter or date of origin.

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

The Museum's Other Items

Not simply did the museum characteristic famous paintings, simply information technology too presented rare books, manuscripts, furniture, tapestries, sculptures and decorative fine art pieces from the Gardner'due south travels. Many rooms displayed a mixture of these dissimilar pieces from various cultures and periods.

The Early on Italian Room highlights Italian Gothic and Renaissance art. These paintings are surrounded by article of furniture and other decorative articles from unlike periods and cultures beyond Europe, Arab republic of egypt, the Middle East and Asia. The Dutch Room includes Italian, Dutch and English pieces such equally an Italian nightstand, a Dutch sugar basin and a Dutch table 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 extravagant celebration. On Feb. 23, 1903, she welcomed the public into the museum.

Stewart Gardner also encouraged many artists, performers and scholars to visit the museum, such equally John Singer Sargent, Charles Martin Loeffler and Ruth St. Denis. Sargent used the museum'due south Gothic Room as 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 find inspiration from her beautiful collection and the museum'southward Venetian designs.

Continuing Her Legacy

Stewart Gardner connected to grow her fine art collection and personally installed the pieces in the museum for the residue of her life. She passed abroad July 17, 1924, later on suffering a serial of strokes. Although Stewart Gardner was no longer living, she nonetheless dictated the museum'south future.

Co-ordinate to her volition, the museum must remain open "for the education and enjoyment of the public forever." Information technology also specifies that zero in the museum can be sold, relocated or removed. The museum was to be maintained the way she left it, meaning new pieces weren't allowed either. The drove remained untouched until March 18, 1990 — later thirteen pieces valued at $500 one thousand thousand were stolen.

Suspects Arrived in Fake Police Uniforms

Equally Bostonians historic St. Patrick'south Day during the early on hours of March eighteen, 1990, ii thieves sabbatum inside a cerise Dodge Daytona on Palace Route nearly the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The two men were disguised as police officers and one of them had on a false wax mustache.

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For nigh an 60 minutes, the 2 criminals waited in their motorcar to avoid the St. Patrick'south Twenty-four hour period political party goers. As the crowd dispersed, the two thieves began their elaborate plan. They exited their vehicle, walked to the archway of the museum and pressed the cablegram near the door at i:24 a.yard.

A Museum Security Baby-sit Let the Thieves In

The museum had ii security guards on duty that night. Later on the starting time baby-sit, Richard Abath, patrolled the museum, he came back to the front end desk to modify positions with the other guard. Abath heard the buzzer and saw 2 men outside. They told Abath they were constabulary officers who had heard a mayhem in the museum'south 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 sure if the protocol also applied to police force officers. Abath believed the men because of their uniforms. While the other guard patrolled the galleries, Abath immune the disguised men to enter.

Handcuffed and Tied

The thieves walked to the forepart desk, where Abath was stationed. Ane of the intruders told Abath his face up seemed familiar and that there was a warrant for his abort. Abath, confused, left the front desk-bound area, where the simply alarm button was located. The thieves immediately forced Abath to confront the wall and handcuffed him. Abath thought the arrest was a error, merely rapidly noticed the intruders didn't search him before putting him in handcuffs. He too realized 1 of the thieves wore a imitation mustache.

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A few minutes later, Abath'south partner returned to the front end desk and the thieves handcuffed him, too. The thieves 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 anxiety with duct record. The criminals moved on to the galleries to commencement their heist.

81 Minutes to Consummate the Largest Theft in History

The museum'south movement detectors recorded the thieves' movements. First, the robbers entered the Dutch Room and approached Rembrandt's "Self-Portrait," but the local alarm went off. The thieves smashed the warning. Later on taking the "Self-Portrait" off the wall, the two men unsuccessfully tried to remove the painting from its wooden panel. They left the painting on the flooring instead.

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The thieves went on to cutting Rembrandt'south "Christ in the Storm on the Bounding main of Galilee" and "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" from the frames. Next, they took Vermeer's "The Concert" and Govaert Flinck'south "Mural with an Obelisk." The criminals stole a total of xiii pieces throughout the museum including a Chinese Bronze Gu, 5 Degas drawings, and an hawkeye finial. The robbery occurred in 81 minutes. At eight:xv a.thou., police arrived at the scene and establish the guards tied upwards in the basement.

The FBI Constitute No Motive or Pattern

Believing that the stolen pieces would cantankerous state lines, the FBI apace took over the instance. The FBI idea the perpetrators were office 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 add-on, the FBI worked with many specialists, including meridian private investigators, Japanese and French regime, museum directors and art dealers. Although the FBI collected over a thousand pages of show, the investigation uncovered no unmarried motive or design. The FBI agent in charge of the Stewart Gardner case, Geoffrey J. Kelly, has mentioned that the FBI knew the identities of the criminals, merely Kelly didn't say if the suspects remained dead or alive. Kelly has provided no farther comment on the identities.

A Few Theories About the Art Heist Have Surfaced

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

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In 2009, the Stewart Gardner Museum'south manager of security, Anthony Affection, heard a strange rumor. Affection said, "1 bizarre theory was from people who say Mrs. Gardner speaks to them and tells them who stole the paintings. As well, others say mythical figures have spoken to them most the thefts."

I of the Main Suspects Was Boston Gangster Robert Donati

Boston gangster Robert "Bobby" Donati became the FBI'south summit 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 earlier the theft. As well before the robbery, Donati went to a nightclub called The Shack, where he was seen carrying a pocketbook of police force uniforms.

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During the 1990 robbery, Connor remained in prison house business firm, but 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 somewhen threw out Donati as a lead suspect.

Another Principal Suspect Was Robert "Bobby the Cook" Gentile

Gangster Robert "Bobby the Cook" Gentile was also on the FBI's radar every bit a possible suspect. The FBI believed he held some of the paintings from the Gardner Museum heist. In 2012, the FBI raided his habitation in Manchester, Connecticut, later on the FBI brought drug charges against Gentile. The FBI found nothing in the raid except for a list of how much each stolen slice would price on the blackness market. Notwithstanding, Gentile said he was innocent and knew nothing well-nigh the robbery.

Afterward in 2016, the FBI filed gun charges against Gentile to forcefulness him to talk most 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 house sentence for one of Guarente's associates. Likewise, Guarente'south wife insisted Gentile possessed a few of the stolen paintings. Gentile's lawyer argued confronting these claims and said that Gentile didn't know annihilation nigh the heist. In 2018, Gentile was sentenced to 54 months in prison on gun charges, only withal hasn't admitted to whatsoever cognition about the whereabouts of the paintings.

A Few Leads Included a Alphabetic character and a New Video

In 1994, museum director Anne Hawley received a letter that assured the return of the stolen pieces for $2.6 one 1000 thousand. The letter writer demanded that the museum get The Boston Earth to print a coded bulletin in the concern organization section. Although the newspaper published the message, the mysterious writer disappeared later on learning constabulary enforcement were involved.

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On Aug. half dozen, 2015, the U.S. Attorney's Office released a video that was taped the night earlier the heist at the Gardner Museum. On the half-dozen-infinitesimal video, two men appear at the entrance of the museum. One man was identified equally Abath, the security guard who was tied upwardly during the robbery. The other man remains unknown. Government accept asked for the public'southward aid to identify him in the footage. The video shows Abath buzzing the unidentified man into the museum twice. The human being stayed in the lobby for a couple of minutes, exited and left in a car.

Dna Collected at The Criminal law-breaking Scene Went Missing

Afterward the robbery in 1990, law nerveless traces of Deoxyribonucleic acid from the duct tape and handcuffs that the thieves used to hold the museum's security guards. In 2010, the FBI wanted to retest the testify due to recent improvements in Dna analysis, hoping the new exam would assistance find the thieves. However, the bear witness containing the DNA had disappeared.

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The FBI conducted a search for the crime scene testify, merely it was nowhere to exist institute. Investigators don't know when the bear witness went missing, simply anonymous sources claimed the show 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 some other setback for the Stewart Gardner case, which remains unsolved to this mean mean solar day.

A Truthful-Crime Podcast Investigated the Unsolved Art Heist Mystery

In 2018, WBUR, a public radio station, collaborated with The Boston Globe to produce a x-role podcast roofing the fine art heist mystery. The podcast, "Last Seen," covers the robbery, the suspects, people connected to the example and the FBI'southward investigation.

The team, led by WBUR members Kelly Horan and Jack Rodolico, researched the mystery for a year. The podcast features many interviews, including ane with security guard Abath and his partner from the night of the crime. The museum's director of security, Affection, says, "Things like this podcast that can reach a large audience are of import for keeping the story live in people'south minds and reminding the public that nosotros're never going to finish looking for the stolen fine art."

A Documentary and Book Covering the Law-breaking Was Released

In 2005, a documentary film chosen "Stolen" by Rebecca Dreyfus featured the famous heist. The documentary follows fine art detective, Harold Smith, equally he looks into the robbery's investigation and the 13 seized pieces. Smith chats with gimmicky authors nigh Stewart Gardner'due south reputation as a famous fine art connoisseur and the works of Dutch painter Vermeer.

Photograph Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

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

The Famous Heist Is Mentioned Throughout Popular Civilization

Many Goggle box shows have featured the crime, including "The Blackness List," "The Simpsons" and "Drunk History." In "The Blackness List," the episode "The Courier" features a criminal named Raymond Reddington looking at Rembrandt'southward painting "Christ in The Tempest on the Ocean of Galilee."

"The Simpsons" has an episode in which Mr. Burns possesses stolen fine art from the Stewart Gardner Museum at Burns Manor. Equally a effect, the police arrest 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 complete the heist.

Some of the Stolen Paintings

Govaert Flinck'due south "Mural with an Obelisk" from 1638 is 1 of the stolen works of fine art. The robbers took Flinck'due south painting from the museum'southward Dutch Room. Many art enthusiasts initially believed the moving-motion picture belonged to the painter Rembrandt, only they afterward learned Flinck was the owner. Dutch painter Flinck was actually a pupil of Rembrandt, who helped influence his work.

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Flinck created "Mural with an Obelisk" using oil on wood. The cute painting features a stormy day, a fantasy landscape and an obelisk inspired by one that's nearly Amsterdam. The pic likewise includes a span and a small human beingness on a equus caballus.

The Painting "Chez Tortoni" Was Another Missing Slice

Some other missing painting is Édouard Manet'due south "Chez Tortoni" from effectually 1875. The museum'due south Blue Room used to concord Manet'southward famous artwork. Manet was known to create paintings in cafes that resembled snapshots.

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Manet's painting illustrates a immature man with a mustache and a summit chapeau sitting in the Café Tortoni de Paris. The man beingness is belongings a pencil in his hand and writing on newspaper. The man'due due south eyes are positioned looking direct at the piece's viewer. Additionally, a drinking glass of wine sits on the admirer'southward tabular array. WBUR describes the picture'south castor strokes every bit wide and tactile.

"La Sortie de Pesage" and "Iii Mounted Jockeys" past Degas Were Stolen

Several Edgar Degas works disappeared in the heist, including "La Sortie de Pesage" and "Iii Mounted Jockeys." These two paintings used to hang in the museum'south Curt Gallery. Degas, a French artist, was popular 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 likewise stole the Degas painting "Iii Mounted Jockeys" from around 1885. Degas created the piece with black ink and oil pigments. While one jockey sits upright on a equus caballus, the other 2 jockeys are upside down in the painting.

"Program for an Creative Soirée" I and Two Were Taken

A couple more Degas works that vanished include "Program for an Artistic Soirée" and "Program for an Artistic Soirée, Written report ii" from 1884. The criminals removed these Degas drawings from the Curt Gallery's cabinets. Stewart Gardner had assembled the cabinets herself to showcase the artwork.

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Degas sketched the drawings with charcoal on white paper, which features the skirt and legs of a dancer. The drawing also includes a adult female property an open up booklet and a human in a lid and wig side past side to a musical instrument. The second "Program for an Artistic Soiree" appears more finished than the start sketch.

"Cortège aux Environs de Florence" and a Few Works Past Rembrandt

Yet another Degas, the sketch "Cortege aux Surroundings de Florence" and a few Rembrandt works were too stolen. "Cortege aux Surround de Florence" used to be displayed in the Brusque Gallery. Degas drew the artwork with a pencil and used a sepia wash on paper. The sketch illustrates a carriage with horses, a developed female with a behemothic umbrella and three women who may exist dancing. He finished this sketch around 1857.

Photograph Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Other missing works include Rembrandt's "A Lady And Admirer In Black" and his virtually famous painting "Christ In The Tempest On The Sea Of Galilee" from 1633. The criminals stole both paintings from the museum'south Dutch Room. The thieves too made off with his tiny sketch titled "Portrait Of The Creative person Equally A Swain" from 1633. The sketch features Rembrandt'due south serious face with untidy hair. The thieves attempted to seize Rembrandt's "Cocky-Portrait" oil painting, but the task was unsuccessful.

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

From the museum's Dutch Room, the criminals made off with a Chinese Gu (a bronze beaker) from twelfth century BC. According to WBUR, the Gu was ane of the near elegant and oldest pieces in the museum. Another detail removed from the museum was the bronze French Hawkeye finial from around 1813. The eagle was fastened to a flagpole from Napoleon'south Kickoff Regiment of Purple Guard. Although the eagle is gone, the flag remains in the museum.

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

The Museum and FBI Are Notwithstanding Looking for New Leads

Although the Gardner example collected some promising leads, the identities of the criminals and the whereabouts of the 13 pieces remain a mystery. To this xx-four hours, empty frames of the missing paintings hang on the walls. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum hopes that the stolen pieces volition i twenty-four hours exist returned. Currently, the museum is offer a $ten one thousand thousand reward for information that can aid recover the stolen pieces.

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The FBI, the museum and the U.S. chaser'south office go on to search for new leads. The museum encourages anyone with data to reach out to the Stewart Gardner Museum. The museum'south managing manager says "I've spent more than a decade preparing for any scenario. I'1000 very set up. I'll become anywhere. I'll come across with the devil for these paintings."

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