and The Boston Globe about a new
theory emerging on the theft, as in early
February 2005 the FBI flew an
American art dealer from New York to
theory emerging on the theft, as in early
February 2005 the FBI flew an
American art dealer from New York to
documentary called Stolen which in a slightly different version had earlier appeared on
Court TV. In 2009, HarperCollins plans to release a book on the theft called The
Gardner Heist. The book is written by journalist Ulrich Boser and promises to reveal the
identities of the thieves.
The stolen items include:
DUTCH ROOM GALLERY
VERMEER, THE CONCERT; Oil on canvas, 72.5 x 64.7 cm.
REMBRANDT, A LADY AND GENTLEMAN IN BLACK; Oil on canvas, 131.6 x
109 cm. Inscribed at the foot, REMBRANDT. FT: 1633.
REMBRANDT, THE STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE, Oil on canvas, 161.7 x
129.8. cm. Inscribed on the rudder, REMBRANDT. FT: 1633
REMBRANDT, SELF PORTRAIT, Etching, 1 3/4" x 2", (Postage Stamp size)
GOVAERT FLINCK, LANDSCAPE WITH AN OBELISK , Oil on an oak panel, 54.5
x 71 cm. Inscribed faintly at the foot on the right; R. 16.8 (until recently this was
attributed to Rembrandt).
CHINESE BRONZE BEAKER OR "KU", Chinese, SHANG DYNASTY, 1200-1100
BC; height of 10 ", diameter of 6 1/8", with a weight of 2 pounds, 7 ounces.
SHORT GALLERY
DEGAS, LA SORTIE DU PELAGE, pencil and water color on paper, 10 x 16 cm.
DEGAS, CORTEGE AUX ENVIRONS DE FLORENCE, pencil and wash on paper,
16 x 21 cm. (This and the above were originally in a single frame.)
DEGAS, THREE MOUNTED JOCKEYS; Black ink, white, flesh and rose washes,
probably oil pigments, applied with a brush on medium brown paper, 30.5 x 24 cm.
DEGAS, PROGRAM FOR AN ARTISTIC SOIREE; Charcoal on white paper, 24.1 x
30.9 cm.
DEGAS, PROGRAM FOR AN ARTISTIC SOIREE; a less finished version of the
above, charcoal on buff paper, 23.4 x 30 cm. (This and the above were originally in a
single frame.)
BLUE ROOM GALLERY
MANET, CHEZ TORTONI; Oil on canvas, 26 x 34 cm
All logical leads have been followed through to conclusion with no positive investigative
results. Numerous interviews have been conducted, many accompanied by polygraph
examination, with no substantial positive information developed. All forensic evidence
recovered by the Boston Police Department and the F.B.I. from the crime scene has
been submitted to the F.B.I. Laboratory Division for analysis and storage. Appropriate
computer entries and notifications regarding the theft and description of the unknown
subjects have been made.
In September 2004 and February 2005, there were reports in Variety, the Boston Herald
Court TV. In 2009, HarperCollins plans to release a book on the theft called The
Gardner Heist. The book is written by journalist Ulrich Boser and promises to reveal the
identities of the thieves.
The stolen items include:
DUTCH ROOM GALLERY
VERMEER, THE CONCERT; Oil on canvas, 72.5 x 64.7 cm.
REMBRANDT, A LADY AND GENTLEMAN IN BLACK; Oil on canvas, 131.6 x
109 cm. Inscribed at the foot, REMBRANDT. FT: 1633.
REMBRANDT, THE STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE, Oil on canvas, 161.7 x
129.8. cm. Inscribed on the rudder, REMBRANDT. FT: 1633
REMBRANDT, SELF PORTRAIT, Etching, 1 3/4" x 2", (Postage Stamp size)
GOVAERT FLINCK, LANDSCAPE WITH AN OBELISK , Oil on an oak panel, 54.5
x 71 cm. Inscribed faintly at the foot on the right; R. 16.8 (until recently this was
attributed to Rembrandt).
CHINESE BRONZE BEAKER OR "KU", Chinese, SHANG DYNASTY, 1200-1100
BC; height of 10 ", diameter of 6 1/8", with a weight of 2 pounds, 7 ounces.
SHORT GALLERY
DEGAS, LA SORTIE DU PELAGE, pencil and water color on paper, 10 x 16 cm.
DEGAS, CORTEGE AUX ENVIRONS DE FLORENCE, pencil and wash on paper,
16 x 21 cm. (This and the above were originally in a single frame.)
DEGAS, THREE MOUNTED JOCKEYS; Black ink, white, flesh and rose washes,
probably oil pigments, applied with a brush on medium brown paper, 30.5 x 24 cm.
DEGAS, PROGRAM FOR AN ARTISTIC SOIREE; Charcoal on white paper, 24.1 x
30.9 cm.
DEGAS, PROGRAM FOR AN ARTISTIC SOIREE; a less finished version of the
above, charcoal on buff paper, 23.4 x 30 cm. (This and the above were originally in a
single frame.)
BLUE ROOM GALLERY
MANET, CHEZ TORTONI; Oil on canvas, 26 x 34 cm
All logical leads have been followed through to conclusion with no positive investigative
results. Numerous interviews have been conducted, many accompanied by polygraph
examination, with no substantial positive information developed. All forensic evidence
recovered by the Boston Police Department and the F.B.I. from the crime scene has
been submitted to the F.B.I. Laboratory Division for analysis and storage. Appropriate
computer entries and notifications regarding the theft and description of the unknown
subjects have been made.
In September 2004 and February 2005, there were reports in Variety, the Boston Herald
unknown subjects brandished no weapons, nor were any weapons seen during this
heist. Other than a "panic" button located behind the guards' watch desk area, the
museum alarm system was internally only. Since the panic button was not activated, no
actual police notification was made during the robbery. The video surveillance film was
seized by the unknown subjects prior to their departure.
While in the museum from the hours of 1:24 a.m. to 2:45 a.m., the unknown subjects
seized thirteen works of art, the values of which have been estimated as high as 500
million dollars.
The robbery is considered the biggest art theft in history and, in fact, the biggest
heist. Other than a "panic" button located behind the guards' watch desk area, the
museum alarm system was internally only. Since the panic button was not activated, no
actual police notification was made during the robbery. The video surveillance film was
seized by the unknown subjects prior to their departure.
While in the museum from the hours of 1:24 a.m. to 2:45 a.m., the unknown subjects
seized thirteen works of art, the values of which have been estimated as high as 500
million dollars.
The robbery is considered the biggest art theft in history and, in fact, the biggest
| 1. What happened on St. Patrick's Day to the picture that was in this frame? 2. Where was this photo taken? 3. What was formerly in the empty frame? |
 |  |  |  |
| If you have a picture you'd like us to feature a picture in a future quiz, please email it to us at CFitzp@aol.com. If we use it, you will receive a free analysis of your picture. You will also receive a free Forensic Genealogy CD or a 10% discount towards the purchase of the Forensic Genealogy book. |
 |  |  |  |
| 1. It was stolen. 2. Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA 3. Rembrandt's "Lady and Gentleman in Black" painted in 1633. |
| ********** |
| Answer to Quiz #194 - 25 January 2009 |
| ********** |
| ********** |
| If you enjoy our quizzes, don't forget to order our books! Click here. |
| Quiz #194 Results |
| This quiz was submitted by Stan Read. |
| ********** |
| Congratulations to Our Winners! The two and only Mr. Rick and his Quiz Angel Jina Yi! Jocelyn Thayer Anna Farris Mary South Gene Glass Brian Kemp Mike Dalton Footnotemaven Tamura Jones Joshua Kreitzer Nancy Lear Anna Farris Christina Gregg Beverly Johns Margaret Waterman Jim Kiser Diane Burkett Lisa Thaler Norm Smith Gary Sterne Elaine C. Hebert Mike Swierczewski Don Draper Marty Guidry Tina Kowis Dan Schlesinger Barbara Battles Carolyn Cornelius Kristen Bieda Karen Kay Bunting Judy Pfaff Ted McChesney Sandra McConathy Marilyn Hamill Wayne Douglas Deborah Campisano Milene Rawlinson Carl Blessing Maureen O'Connor Kate Johnson Mike Dalton Carol Lemieux Cari Thomas Teresa Yu Dennis Brann Marjorie Wilser Carol Smith Beth Long Venita Wilson Edward McKenna, QPL |
| Comments from Our Readers |
I can just imagine a basement filled with rare art sealed in a room with just the right
elements to preserve them with a lock only a few can get into to see the pictures. A
lonely person, patting himself on the back, and thinking what a great job the crooks did
for him. It is sad because the rest of the worlds art lovers, rich and poor, may never
see them again. Sad so sad... Bev Johns
*****
What an interesting story and remarkable how simple the actual heist was. I remember
reading shortyly after this occured that museums (most of which seem like fortresses)
carry little or no insurance since the value of the objects to be insured would push the
insurance premiums into the stratosphere -- well beyond the ability of the museum to
cover that cost through ticket sales or the benevolence of patrons. Diane Burkett
*****
It was the Boston Globe videos that I had used to determine what was in the frame to
answer the quiz photo questions. I think that anyone who would be so careless in their
removal from the frames probably isn't taking very good care of them now either,
unfortunately. Who knows why some people do the things that they do? Some just
want the notoriety and others just to see if they can pull it off, I suppose. No rhyme
nor reason to some's madness. They are just mean and rude for the sake of being
mean and rude. Karen Kay Bunting
*****
The caption that ran with the photo in the Week in Review section on NYTimes.com
answers the questions quite well... "The biggest art theft in American history occurred
at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston on March 18, 1990. The stolen
paintings, including the one that hung in this frame, Rembrandt's "Lady and Gentleman
in Black," remain unrecovered." The frames remain in the museum exactly where they
were originally placed for all 15 paintings that were stolen in order to comply with Mrs.
Gardner's will. Great quiz...fantastic topic. Barbara Battles
*****
I fiddled around with the prints and the frame and A Lady and Gentleman in Black fits
the frame better.
I can't imagine that they would be destroyed...especially considering the ones that were
stolen. I think these people had a shopping list and took exactly what they were told to
take. I agree that they are probably in a private collection. I just wonder if the world
will ever see them again...maybe not in my lifetime. I would just love to know who has
them!!! Mary South
*****
I figured by the shape of the frame it would have been the "Storm on the Sea of Galliee"
but my eye is not what it used to be, I guess! I agree that the paintings are in some very
private collection and judging by the lack of care they took in removing them and
transporting the paintings it is someone who is not in the regular art community...
(more likely a 'nouveau-riche' Russian mobster) There was a similar theft in a Danish or
Norse museum as well, several years ago, and a couple of those paintings have just
turned up recently. So, there is still hope for the Gardner's missing treasures to
reappear. At least we can hope. Thanks for the great little mystery, I really enjoy
participating. Tom McChesney
*****
I finally found this image although with some difficulty. I tend to use Yahoo Images for
searches but had no success in locating this. "Google Images" showed the exact photo
and gave the answer I had suspected. Before that I saw a photo of the outside wall
showing empty frames for The Storm on the Sea of Gallilee and A Lady and Gentleman
in Black. My first technique was the use the ratio of height to width of the paintings.
Both these are quite similar and the position of wall chairs is also much the same - so at
first I could not quite decide which painting belonged in the empty frame. The search
was fun and made me see the value of Google Images. Don Draper
*****
I suspect that the art thieves are doing the following: Steal the objects and sell them to
individuals. The buyers will then sell them, without attribution, to other private
collectors. This private collector selling can go on for a few hundred years or so
without records. If, at some point, one of the descendant collectors decides to sell on
the open market, he has every expectation that his acquisition will be viewed as
innocent, especially if he's a rich novice collector or just an heir of one of the
descendant buyers. Voila! Time heals all! Because this kind of thing requires so much
time, I suspect that the thieves only realized 1% or so of the value. Still, $3,000,000 is
pretty good for a few hours of risky work! Mike Swierczewski
*****
I could not find where the quiz image came from but was intrigued by the whole event.
Who steals priceless art and how do they turn a profit on it. I don't suppose the police
checked the local pawn shops. Perhaps immunity for the theives will persuade them to
return the works. Dan Schlesinger
*****
I read somewhere in my search that someone is about to release a book about the heist
and their theory of where the paintings are. I just can't image what someone would
want with paintings that they can't display except some old recluse who sits and stares
at them himself. Wasn't there a movie about that? And Vermeers are so rare...it is more
than criminal Barbara Battles
*****
Sad story. Doubtful these works will ever be recovered. Carol Cornelius
*****
The original, stolen, painting is sort of dark and dismal. I am glad I don't have to wear
those neck ruffs that the lady has on. Milene Rawlinson
*****
It was interesting to read of stolen art in general. Maureen O'Connor
*****
Seems there are a lot of famous paintings that have "gone missing" and never shown up
in the public. Drug lords and dictators have a lot of extra money for stuff like that I
guess, but I'll never know why these guys, with all the time they need, always hack the
pictures out of the frames. Marilyn Hamill
*****
Yeah, identifying the picture in the frame was harder to do than figuring out the gist of
the puzzle. I, too, would rather see them in the hands of some selfish private art
collector, than to think that they were destroyed!! Elaine C. Hebert
*****
I suspect two options. They are sitting in someone's basement in less than great
conditions or they are in the private collection of a very wealthy person behind locked
doors. Either way, not good. Kate Johnson
*****
We had to do some searching for this one...thanks to some clues provided by Mr. Rick
sister, we were able to nail another quiz. Jina's thinking of putting little stickers on her
wheelchair for each quiz we ace-like the football players do on their helmets...she's also
working on a little end zone wheelie-but I'm not getting into that! Mr Rick and Jina
elements to preserve them with a lock only a few can get into to see the pictures. A
lonely person, patting himself on the back, and thinking what a great job the crooks did
for him. It is sad because the rest of the worlds art lovers, rich and poor, may never
see them again. Sad so sad... Bev Johns
*****
What an interesting story and remarkable how simple the actual heist was. I remember
reading shortyly after this occured that museums (most of which seem like fortresses)
carry little or no insurance since the value of the objects to be insured would push the
insurance premiums into the stratosphere -- well beyond the ability of the museum to
cover that cost through ticket sales or the benevolence of patrons. Diane Burkett
*****
It was the Boston Globe videos that I had used to determine what was in the frame to
answer the quiz photo questions. I think that anyone who would be so careless in their
removal from the frames probably isn't taking very good care of them now either,
unfortunately. Who knows why some people do the things that they do? Some just
want the notoriety and others just to see if they can pull it off, I suppose. No rhyme
nor reason to some's madness. They are just mean and rude for the sake of being
mean and rude. Karen Kay Bunting
*****
The caption that ran with the photo in the Week in Review section on NYTimes.com
answers the questions quite well... "The biggest art theft in American history occurred
at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston on March 18, 1990. The stolen
paintings, including the one that hung in this frame, Rembrandt's "Lady and Gentleman
in Black," remain unrecovered." The frames remain in the museum exactly where they
were originally placed for all 15 paintings that were stolen in order to comply with Mrs.
Gardner's will. Great quiz...fantastic topic. Barbara Battles
*****
I fiddled around with the prints and the frame and A Lady and Gentleman in Black fits
the frame better.
I can't imagine that they would be destroyed...especially considering the ones that were
stolen. I think these people had a shopping list and took exactly what they were told to
take. I agree that they are probably in a private collection. I just wonder if the world
will ever see them again...maybe not in my lifetime. I would just love to know who has
them!!! Mary South
*****
I figured by the shape of the frame it would have been the "Storm on the Sea of Galliee"
but my eye is not what it used to be, I guess! I agree that the paintings are in some very
private collection and judging by the lack of care they took in removing them and
transporting the paintings it is someone who is not in the regular art community...
(more likely a 'nouveau-riche' Russian mobster) There was a similar theft in a Danish or
Norse museum as well, several years ago, and a couple of those paintings have just
turned up recently. So, there is still hope for the Gardner's missing treasures to
reappear. At least we can hope. Thanks for the great little mystery, I really enjoy
participating. Tom McChesney
*****
I finally found this image although with some difficulty. I tend to use Yahoo Images for
searches but had no success in locating this. "Google Images" showed the exact photo
and gave the answer I had suspected. Before that I saw a photo of the outside wall
showing empty frames for The Storm on the Sea of Gallilee and A Lady and Gentleman
in Black. My first technique was the use the ratio of height to width of the paintings.
Both these are quite similar and the position of wall chairs is also much the same - so at
first I could not quite decide which painting belonged in the empty frame. The search
was fun and made me see the value of Google Images. Don Draper
*****
I suspect that the art thieves are doing the following: Steal the objects and sell them to
individuals. The buyers will then sell them, without attribution, to other private
collectors. This private collector selling can go on for a few hundred years or so
without records. If, at some point, one of the descendant collectors decides to sell on
the open market, he has every expectation that his acquisition will be viewed as
innocent, especially if he's a rich novice collector or just an heir of one of the
descendant buyers. Voila! Time heals all! Because this kind of thing requires so much
time, I suspect that the thieves only realized 1% or so of the value. Still, $3,000,000 is
pretty good for a few hours of risky work! Mike Swierczewski
*****
I could not find where the quiz image came from but was intrigued by the whole event.
Who steals priceless art and how do they turn a profit on it. I don't suppose the police
checked the local pawn shops. Perhaps immunity for the theives will persuade them to
return the works. Dan Schlesinger
*****
I read somewhere in my search that someone is about to release a book about the heist
and their theory of where the paintings are. I just can't image what someone would
want with paintings that they can't display except some old recluse who sits and stares
at them himself. Wasn't there a movie about that? And Vermeers are so rare...it is more
than criminal Barbara Battles
*****
Sad story. Doubtful these works will ever be recovered. Carol Cornelius
*****
The original, stolen, painting is sort of dark and dismal. I am glad I don't have to wear
those neck ruffs that the lady has on. Milene Rawlinson
*****
It was interesting to read of stolen art in general. Maureen O'Connor
*****
Seems there are a lot of famous paintings that have "gone missing" and never shown up
in the public. Drug lords and dictators have a lot of extra money for stuff like that I
guess, but I'll never know why these guys, with all the time they need, always hack the
pictures out of the frames. Marilyn Hamill
*****
Yeah, identifying the picture in the frame was harder to do than figuring out the gist of
the puzzle. I, too, would rather see them in the hands of some selfish private art
collector, than to think that they were destroyed!! Elaine C. Hebert
*****
I suspect two options. They are sitting in someone's basement in less than great
conditions or they are in the private collection of a very wealthy person behind locked
doors. Either way, not good. Kate Johnson
*****
We had to do some searching for this one...thanks to some clues provided by Mr. Rick
sister, we were able to nail another quiz. Jina's thinking of putting little stickers on her
wheelchair for each quiz we ace-like the football players do on their helmets...she's also
working on a little end zone wheelie-but I'm not getting into that! Mr Rick and Jina
A History of Art Theft The Museum of the Missing by Simon Houpt Buy now from Amazon. Read excerpts on Google books. Click here. Read reviews on Goodreads. Click here. |
| Other Links of Interest The Great Art Caper Time Magazine, November 17, 1997 Preview of the movie Stolen about the Isabel Stewart Gardner art robbery. Wikipedia article on the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum Ripped from the Walls (and the Headlines) Smithsonian Magazine article about the robbery. |
| I solved the photo quiz by keying on the St. Patrick Day clue, assumed it was an art theft and googled “art theft St. Patrick’s Day”. It did not take long to find the reference to the theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 but I was not sure if this was the actual theft depicted in the quiz. I then looked for clues in the photo and in pictures provided from the various web sites to confirm my suspicion. The web site which did confirm my suspicion was from the web site of The Boston Globe (http: //www.boston. com/news/specials/gardner_heist/heist/). In the video clip, a still photo of the room where the Vermeer painting “The Concert” is shown. If one looks at this photo carefully, one will note that the wall paper is similar both in color and design, the frame is similar (shape, size and thickness) to that shown in the quiz photo although the image is not clear enough to compare the design on the frame itself). Also, the three pink chairs against the wall in the quiz photo are also shown in the photo shown in the video clip. Additional items noticed were the outer frame- border that comes part way down the wall connecting to wood paneling which forms about the bottom third of the wall (all present in the video clip photo). These observations were enough to convince me that that I had sufficient information to answer the questions asked in the photo quiz. Norm Smith N.B. Great analysis Norm, but it's the wrong painting! Colleen, I rechecked the web sites that I had obtained information on and discovered that I had made an error in my answer. The frame in question is indeed that which used to display Rembrandt’s “Lady and Gentlemen in Black”. I did find a specific photo showing the frame on the wall (just as in the quiz photo) in the video from the Boston Globe (http://www.boston. com/news/specials/gardner_heist/heist/) which was the website where I obtained most of my information from (just happened to miss the one photo showing the frame which was displayed in the photo quiz). Oh well, I guess I will miss the occasional quiz question. I agree that the paintings are now in a private collection somewhere. After seeing photos of the missing art work, one cannot help but be impressed. Here’s hoping that these works resurface sometime and go on display again for all to view. Norm Smith |
| ********** |
| How Norm Almost Solved the Puzzle |
| ********** |
| More Than One Way to Skin a Cat |
| The [Boston.com] video I saw showed the picture frame with the chairs and showing the wall paper and naming the picture made it easy. I think it is the video you listed below. It was one of the first two or three items list by Google. Wayne Douglas |
| ********** |
| FBI Art Theft Program |
Art and cultural property crime - which
includes theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking
across state and international lines -- is a
looming criminal enterprise with estimated
losses running as high as $6 billion annually.
To recover these precious pieces--and to bring
these criminals to justice--the FBI uses a
dedicated Art Crime Team of 13 Special
Agents to investigate, supported by three
Special Trial Attorneys for prosecutions...and
it mans the National Stolen Art File, a
computerized index of reported stolen art and
cultural properties for the use of law
includes theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking
across state and international lines -- is a
looming criminal enterprise with estimated
losses running as high as $6 billion annually.
To recover these precious pieces--and to bring
these criminals to justice--the FBI uses a
dedicated Art Crime Team of 13 Special
Agents to investigate, supported by three
Special Trial Attorneys for prosecutions...and
it mans the National Stolen Art File, a
computerized index of reported stolen art and
cultural properties for the use of law
enforcement agencies across the world.
The FBI established a rapid deployment Art Crime Team in 2004. The team is
composed of 13 Special Agents, each responsible for addressing art and cultural
property crime cases in an assigned geographic region. The Art Crime Team is
coordinated through the FBI's Art Theft Program, located at FBI Headquarters in
Washington, D.C. Art Crime Team agents receive specialized training in art and cultural
property investigations and assist in art related investigations worldwide in cooperation
with foreign law enforcement officials and FBI Legal Attaché offices. The U.S.
Department of Justice has assigned three Special Trial Attorneys to the Art Crime Team
for prosecutive support.
Since its inception, the Art Crime Team has recovered over 850 items of cultural
property with a value exceeding $134 million. These include:
* Recovery of two 15th c. maps from a 15th century edition of Geographica (one of
four major treatises of Ptolemy) stolen from the National Library in Spain.
* Recovery of Francisco de Goya's 1778 painting Children With a Cart. The painting
was stolen while being transported from the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio to the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
* Approximately 700 pre-Colombian artifacts. The objects recovered in Miami were the
result of a sting operation in coordination with the Ecuadorian authorities.
* Three paintings by the German painter Heinrich Buerkel (1802-1869), stolen at the
conclusion of World War II and consigned for sale at an auction house near
Philadelphia in 2005.
* Rembrandt’s Self Portrait (1630) in a sting operation in Copenhagen carried out in
cooperation with ICE and law enforcement agencies in Sweden and Denmark. The FBI
had previously recovered Renoir’s The Young Parisian. Both paintings had been stolen
from the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm in 2000.
* Approximately 100 paintings that had been stolen from a Florida family's art
The FBI established a rapid deployment Art Crime Team in 2004. The team is
composed of 13 Special Agents, each responsible for addressing art and cultural
property crime cases in an assigned geographic region. The Art Crime Team is
coordinated through the FBI's Art Theft Program, located at FBI Headquarters in
Washington, D.C. Art Crime Team agents receive specialized training in art and cultural
property investigations and assist in art related investigations worldwide in cooperation
with foreign law enforcement officials and FBI Legal Attaché offices. The U.S.
Department of Justice has assigned three Special Trial Attorneys to the Art Crime Team
for prosecutive support.
Since its inception, the Art Crime Team has recovered over 850 items of cultural
property with a value exceeding $134 million. These include:
* Recovery of two 15th c. maps from a 15th century edition of Geographica (one of
four major treatises of Ptolemy) stolen from the National Library in Spain.
* Recovery of Francisco de Goya's 1778 painting Children With a Cart. The painting
was stolen while being transported from the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio to the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
* Approximately 700 pre-Colombian artifacts. The objects recovered in Miami were the
result of a sting operation in coordination with the Ecuadorian authorities.
* Three paintings by the German painter Heinrich Buerkel (1802-1869), stolen at the
conclusion of World War II and consigned for sale at an auction house near
Philadelphia in 2005.
* Rembrandt’s Self Portrait (1630) in a sting operation in Copenhagen carried out in
cooperation with ICE and law enforcement agencies in Sweden and Denmark. The FBI
had previously recovered Renoir’s The Young Parisian. Both paintings had been stolen
from the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm in 2000.
* Approximately 100 paintings that had been stolen from a Florida family's art
| A Really Dastardly Act Looting art from the Gardner Boston Museum, 19 March 1990 was the fateful day, Selected paintings by the likes of Degas, Manet, and Rembrandt disappeared that way. The pictured empty frame could have held, A Rembrandt painting of note, "Storm on the Sea of Gallie", Might have left the country by boat. No ransom nor payment demands have been made, Items perhaps ordered by some rich collector? He sits alone within his den Only he can see this loot in his sector. Robert Edward McKenna Quiz Poet Laureate |
collection in a fine art storage facility. This
collection included works by Picasso,
Rothko, Matisse, and others that were
recovered from Chicago, New York, and
Tokyo.
Please note: U.S. persons and
organizations requiring access to the
National Stolen Art File should contact
their closest FBI Field Office; international
organizations should contact their closest
FBI Legal Attaché Office.
collection included works by Picasso,
Rothko, Matisse, and others that were
recovered from Chicago, New York, and
Tokyo.
Please note: U.S. persons and
organizations requiring access to the
National Stolen Art File should contact
their closest FBI Field Office; international
organizations should contact their closest
FBI Legal Attaché Office.
Clickable map on FBI's website showing
worldwide notices of thefts and recoveries.
Click here.
worldwide notices of thefts and recoveries.
Click here.
| ********** |
| FBI's Top Ten Art Crimes |
| Theft at the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/arttheft/northamerica/us/isabella/isabella.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardner_Museum#Theft |
| ********** |
A reward of $5 million is offered for information leading to the return of the works of
art in good condition. Please contact the museum’s Director of Security Anthony
Amore, at 617 278 5114, theft@isgm.org, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 617
742 5533.
art in good condition. Please contact the museum’s Director of Security Anthony
Amore, at 617 278 5114, theft@isgm.org, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 617
742 5533.
Photo taken in the Dutch Room of the
Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum, shows
the empty frame where Landscape with
an Obelish by Govaert Flinck used to be
displayed. (Boston Globe staff
photo/Janet Knott). boston.com/news/spec...
Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum, shows
the empty frame where Landscape with
an Obelish by Govaert Flinck used to be
displayed. (Boston Globe staff
photo/Janet Knott). boston.com/news/spec...
On March 18, 1990, the Gardner Museum
was robbed by two unknown white males
dressed in police uniforms and identifying
themselves a Boston police officers. The
unknown subjects gained entrance into the
museum by advising on-duty security
personnel that they were responding to a
call of a disturbance within the
compound. Security, contrary to museum
regulations, allowed the unknown subjects
into the facility.
Upon gaining entry, the two unknown
subjects abducted the on duty security
personnel, securing both guards with duct
tape and handcuffs in separate remote
areas of the museum's basement. The
was robbed by two unknown white males
dressed in police uniforms and identifying
themselves a Boston police officers. The
unknown subjects gained entrance into the
museum by advising on-duty security
personnel that they were responding to a
call of a disturbance within the
compound. Security, contrary to museum
regulations, allowed the unknown subjects
into the facility.
Upon gaining entry, the two unknown
subjects abducted the on duty security
personnel, securing both guards with duct
tape and handcuffs in separate remote
areas of the museum's basement. The
| For a detailed description of the robbery, please see the Boston Globe article Stolen Beauty: The Gardner Museum Heist 15 Years Later, Ssecrets behind the Largest Art Theft in History. Click here. |
property theft ever, and remains
unsolved. The museum still displays the
paintings' empty frames in their original
locations due to the strict provisions of
Gardner's will, which instructed that the
collection be maintained unchanged. The
thefts are a subject of a 2005
unsolved. The museum still displays the
paintings' empty frames in their original
locations due to the strict provisions of
Gardner's will, which instructed that the
collection be maintained unchanged. The
thefts are a subject of a 2005
| For an anatomy of the robbery, including a timeline and a map, click here. |
Paris to meet with the French National Police and pursue new leads. These "leads" have
resulted in nothing.
In late 2005, the museum hired a former Homeland Security official who helped to
rebuild security at Logan Airport after the events of September 11, 2001. The museum
then immediately brought MAC Systems and General Electric in to conduct a
large-scale and comprehensive upgrade ot the facility's access control system. More
upgrades are in the works to ensure that the events of March 18, 1990, are never
repeated.
resulted in nothing.
In late 2005, the museum hired a former Homeland Security official who helped to
rebuild security at Logan Airport after the events of September 11, 2001. The museum
then immediately brought MAC Systems and General Electric in to conduct a
large-scale and comprehensive upgrade ot the facility's access control system. More
upgrades are in the works to ensure that the events of March 18, 1990, are never
repeated.
| ********** |
| ********** |