The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opened in 1903 as the permanent home for the art collection that Gardner and her husband, Jack, had amassed over more than a decade. The collection boasted more than 7,500 pieces of art alongside rare books and other significant objects of immense historical, cultural and monetary value.
Gardner left a $3.6 million endowment to the museum in her will, but by the 1980s funds had dwindled and the collection was at risk due to the lack of a modern security system. Although motion detectors were installed inside the galleries, and cameras were placed outside the building, at least two different security experts advised that more investment was necessary to secure the collection.
At 1.20am on 18 March 1990, two men dressed as police officers were let in to the museum’s side entrance after convincing a security guard they needed to investigate a disturbance. The two thieves then handcuffed the guard and his colleague and wrapped their heads and eyes in duct tape before leaving them in the basement.
The thieves proceeded to remove thirteen pieces of art from the museum including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet and Degas. Many of the canvases were cut from their stretchers, and the empty frames left behind. In total the theft lasted for 81 minutes. The stolen works have since been valued at an estimated $500 million, making it the largest ever art theft in the world.
Despite a reward of $10 million, and extensive investigations by the FBI, none of the works have ever been recovered and nobody has ever been arrested for the robbery. The empty frames continue to hang on the gallery walls, waiting for their potential return.
