On Monday, March 18, the art world was galvanized by the information that the FBI has identified the perpetrators in the $500 million art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. Investigators have long been baffled for decades over the theft.
In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990 the robbers entered the
museum and tied up two night watchmen. Once in, they roamed the galleries with
impunity, picking off the cream of the fabulous collection. The robbery was not
discovered until the next morning.
Rembrandt’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633)
The
stolen works include: Rembrandt’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633), A Lady
and Gentleman in Black (1633) and a Self Portrait (1634), an etching on paper;
Vermeer’s The Concert (1658–1660); and Govaert Flinck’s Landscape with an
Obelisk (1638); and a Chinese vase or Ku, all taken from the Dutch Room on the
second floor. Also stolen from the second floor were five works on paper by the
Impressionist artist Edgar Degas and a finial from the top of a pole support
for a Napoleonic silk flag, both from the Short Gallery. Edouard Manet’s Chez
Tortoni (1878–1880) was taken from the Blue Room on the first floor.
A
decade ago, an attempt was made to sell some of the 13 artworks, including
three Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a portrait by Edouard Manet, and sketches by
Renoir. But the location of the stolen masterworks is still unknown.
Vermeer’s The Concert (1658–1660)
Richard DesDesLauriers, special agent in
charge of the Boston office of the FBI, said that "the probe “accelerated”
in 2010 and “crucial pieces of evidence” were developed identifying the robbers
and their associates.
“The
FBI believes with a high degree of confidence in the years after the theft the
art was transported to Connecticut and the Philadelphia region and some of the
art was taken to Philadelphia where it was offered for sale by those
responsible for the theft. With that confidence, we have identified the
thieves, who are members of a criminal organization with a base in the
mid-Atlantic states and New England,” stated DesLauriers,
DesLauriers added that because the investigation is continuing it would be “imprudent” to
disclose their names or the name of the criminal organization. He said the
probe was in its “final chapter.”
Officials
are seeking help from the public and will be launching a massive public
awareness campaign that will stretch beyond New England. Among the exposure
tactics will be a dedicated FBI website, video postings on FBI social media
sites, digital billboards, and a podcast. To view and listen to these
items, visit the FBI’s new webpage about the theft: www.FBI.gov/gardner.
There
is a $5 million reward for information on the whereabouts of the missing art.
The statute of limitations has run out on the robbers, and they might be
granted immunity for other charges, such as possessing the stolen paintings.
Arts
journalist Lee Rosenbaum, who writes the art blog "Culture Grrl" added further details about
Boston Globe reporter Milton Valencia‘s Twitter feed from the news
conference. His tweets suggests that the hunt may be moving to Philadelphia.
Special
Agent Geoffrey Kelly, who is the lead investigator in the case nd a member of
the Art Crime Team. “In the past, people who realize they are in possession of
stolen art have returned the art in a variety of ways, including through third
parties, attorneys, and anonymously leaving items in churches or at police
stations.”
If
you have a tip, call : 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Or you can go to this
website: https://tips.fbi.gov.
In addition, the press release gives you permission
to “contact…the museum directly or through a third party.” Isabella
Stewart Gardner Museum.
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