What Happened to the Art Stolen From the Gardner Museum?

Art|Art Museum

On March 18th, 1990, two thieves disguised as police officers broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, stealing thirteen pieces of art worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The stolen works included three Rembrandt paintings, five Degas drawings, a Manet painting, and a Vermeer. No one was ever arrested for the crime and the artworks have never been recovered.

The Gardner Museum has since offered a reward for information leading to the recovery of the artwork. In 1997, the reward was raised to $5 million dollars and again in 2005 to $10 million. Despite this incentive, no tips or leads have been successful in recovering any of the stolen pieces.

Over the years there have been many theories as to what happened to the stolen artworks. Some believe that they were sold on the black market and are being stored somewhere in Europe or Asia.

Others think that they were destroyed shortly after they were taken from the museum. Still others believe that they are being held by organized crime groups who are waiting for either a higher reward or amnesty before returning them.

The mystery of what happened to these masterpieces has been an ongoing investigation for over three decades now. The FBI has continued its search for clues and has followed up on various leads but all have ultimately come up empty-handed. While some progress has been made in understanding who may have been involved with the theft, there is still no definitive answer as to where these priceless works of art may be located.

Conclusion:

What happened to the art stolen from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains an unsolved mystery even after 30 years. Despite numerous investigations and rewards offered there is still no definitive answer as to where these priceless works may be located.