What Happened to the Gardner Museum Art?

Art|Art Museum

In March of 1990, two men wearing ski masks and police uniforms gained access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. The men were actually thieves who were attempting to steal some of the museum’s most valuable artwork.

On the night of the theft, thirteen pieces of art, including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet and Degas were stolen from the museum. It is estimated that the total value of these items was in excess of $500 million.

The thieves did not take any other items from the museum. They specifically chose to take only these particular works of art.

In addition to the thirteen pieces they stole, they also stole a Chinese beaker which was located in a separate gallery. This beaker was not part of the original collection but had been donated to the museum by a private collector.

In spite of an extensive investigation by both local and federal authorities, none of the stolen artworks have ever been recovered. The FBI has offered a reward for information leading to their return but no one has ever come forward with any useful information.

The Gardner Museum continues to display empty frames where each stolen painting once hung as a reminder that these items have never been recovered. The museum has also held exhibitions featuring replicas of some of the stolen works as well as artwork inspired by them.

Conclusion:

What happened to the Gardner Museum Art is still unknown today — thirty years after it first vanished into thin air. Despite an extensive investigation by law enforcement and generous rewards offered for its return, none of the thirteen pieces have ever been recovered or seen again. To this day, visitors can still view empty frames in their original locations within the Gardner Museum as a lasting reminder that something priceless was lost that fateful night in 1990.