Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Art Theft of 1990

Art Theft of 1990

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990 – as the city was preoccupied with Saint Patrick's Day celebrations – a pair of thieves disguised themselves as Boston police officers, gained entry to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and stole thirteen works of art.

The stolen artworks include The Concert by Vermeer (one of only 34 known works by Vermeer in the world), three works by Rembrandt including The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (the artist’s only known seascape) and a postage-stamp-sized Self-Portrait, five drawings by Degas, Chez Tortoni by Manet, a landscape painting formerly attributed to Rembrandt, and two objects, an ancient Chinese Ku and a finial in the shape of an eagle from a Napoleonic flag. All together, the stolen pieces are estimated to be a loss of $500 million, making the robbery the largest property threat ever. Several empty frames hang in the Dutch Room gallery, both in homage to the missing works and as placeholders for when they are returned.

The stolen artworks have not yet been returned to the museum. However, the investigation remains an open, active case and leads are investigated by the museum and the FBI. An offer of a reward from the Gardner Museum of up to $5 million for information leading to the recovery of the stolen artwork remains open.