Kuwait Times

Boston museum

-

It’s been called the biggest art heist in US history, perhaps the biggest in the world. But 25 years later, the theft of 13 works from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains unsolved. The theft has spawned books, rumors and speculatio­n about who was responsibl­e - and multiple dead ends.

Yet authoritie­s and museum officials remain hopeful, noting that stolen art almost always gets returned, it just sometimes takes a generation or so. “Although a quarter-century has passed since the art was stolen, we have always been determined to recover it and we remain optimistic that we will,” said Anne Hawley, the Gardner’s director, who was in charge at the time of the theft.

The Heist

In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers talked their way into the museum by saying they were responding to a call. They overpowere­d two security guards, bound them with duct tape and spent 81 minutes pilfering 13 works of art, including masterpiec­es by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet. Authoritie­s say the artwork is worth perhaps as much as a half-billion dollars. Museum officials say it’s priceless because it cannot be replaced.

Some of the works, including Rembrandt’s “Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” were cut from their frames. Those frames hang empty in the museum to this day. “It is our way of remaining hopeful,” museum marketing director Kathy Sharpless said. Museum officials and police remain baffled by the selection of works stolen. It is thought that the three stolen Rembrandts were targeted, but why more valuable pieces were left behind while less valuable

works were taken remains a mystery.

The investigat­ion

The FBI announced two years ago that they think they know the identities of the thieves, yet the exact whereabout­s of the art remains unclear. No names have been disclosed or arrests made. With the help of foreign law enforcemen­t agencies, the FBI has chased down thousands of leads around the globe, to France, Spain, Britain and Japan. But the answer may be closer to home.

Richard DesLaurier­s, former agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office, said two years ago that investigat­ors believe the thieves belonged to a criminal organizati­on based in New England and the mid-Atlantic. They believe the art was taken to Connecticu­t and Pennsylvan­ia in the years after the theft and offered for sale in Philadelph­ia. After that, the trail went cold.

“That announceme­nt did generate some good tips, but no recovery,” said Geoff Kelly, a member of the FBI’s art crime team who has worked on the case for more than 12 years. The local angle remains the most hopeful, he said.

In 2012, the FBI fruitlessl­y searched the property of a Connecticu­t mobster they believe knew something about the heist, even using ground-penetratin­g radar. The museum is offering a $5 million reward for the return of the artwork “in good condition.” Art experts have said that for that kind of money, someone will eventually “rat out” the thief. The government’s reward is not monetary: It is offering immunity.

The anniversar­y

The museum is marking the infamous anniversar­y by launching a virtual tour on its website entitled “Thirteen Works: Explore the Gardner’s Stolen Art.” The tour includes high-resolution images of the artwork, archival images, the history of the works and how they were acquired by Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Anthony Amore, the Gardner’s security chief, is scheduled to deliver a lecture entitled “81 Minutes,” where he will walk the audience through the theft. Wednesday’s lecture is open only to museum members, but his March 26 lecture is open to the public. — AP

 ??  ?? This undated photograph provided by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum shows the watercolor ‘La Sortie de Pesage’ by Edgar Degas, which was one of more than a dozen works of art burglars stole during a 1990 heist in Boston. — AP photos
This undated photograph provided by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum shows the watercolor ‘La Sortie de Pesage’ by Edgar Degas, which was one of more than a dozen works of art burglars stole during a 1990 heist in Boston. — AP photos
 ??  ?? In this March 21, 1990, file photo, a security guard stands outside the Dutch Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where robbers stole more than a dozen works of art in an early morning robbery in Boston.
In this March 21, 1990, file photo, a security guard stands outside the Dutch Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where robbers stole more than a dozen works of art in an early morning robbery in Boston.
 ??  ?? In this March 21, 1990, file photo, a security guard stands outside the Dutch Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where robbers stole more than a dozen works of art in an early morning robbery in Boston.
In this March 21, 1990, file photo, a security guard stands outside the Dutch Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where robbers stole more than a dozen works of art in an early morning robbery in Boston.
 ??  ?? This undated file photograph provided by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum shows the painting ‘The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,’ by Rembrandt Harmenszoo­n van Rijn, one of more than a dozen works of art stolen by burglars in the early hours of March...
This undated file photograph provided by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum shows the painting ‘The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,’ by Rembrandt Harmenszoo­n van Rijn, one of more than a dozen works of art stolen by burglars in the early hours of March...

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Kuwait