Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: 36 Years Later and Still in the Dark but There is a New Book out With a Theory
In the wee hours of March 18th, 1990, the day of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, two men wearing Boston police uniforms appeared at the side door of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, stating they were responding to a disturbance. The security guards on duty were tied up in the basement, and the men stole 13 valuable works of art in 81 minutes, taking time to remove them from their frames.
According to the Boston Globe, among the 13 pieces are three by Rembrandt, including his only seascape, “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” “A Lady and Gentleman in Black,” and a stamp-sized self-portrait; Flinck’s “Landscape with an Obelisk”; Degas sketches; “Chez Tortoni” by Manet; an ancient Chinese vase; and a bronze finial eagle from atop a Napoleonic flag. It is believed that the artwork is valued at over $600 million today. Wowza!
Not one of the stolen artworks has been found. The museum still offers a $10 million reward for any information leading to the return of the stolen art.
There’s a new book out written by a retired FBI agent, Geoffrey Kelly, who worked on the case for over 20 years. In the book, Kelly builds on a theory first highlighted by The Boston Globe, pointing to Dorchester-based mob associate Carmello Merlino as the alleged brains behind the theft operation. According to Kelly, Merlino, who owned a repair shop in the neighborhood, may have directed the thieves with a specific “shopping list” of artwork to steal. Merlino later died in prison in 2005. You can read about this here.
The Boston Globe also has a great true crime podcast about this heist called “Last Scene.” Netflix also did a documentary series called “This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist.”
Image via Boston Globe
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