How were invaluable paintings stolen at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston? CNN documentary reveals all

Art museums around the world are unique. While the well-known ones host exquisite pieces of art, they are often under the threat of damage and theft. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is no different. March 18, 1990, was an important day in the history of the museum as it faced one of its biggest incidents of theft. Thirteen pieces of art were stolen including three Rembrandts and a Vermeer worth approximately half a billion dollars. A new episode on CNN titled “How it Really Happened” was aired on May 19. This featured the TV interview of one of the guards whose hands were duct-tapped in the basement.

5 interesting facts
The woman behind the museum Isabella Stewart Gardner is the woman behind this fascinating museum. She is a philanthropist and art collector who sought to build a museum in which she could display her art collections.


The museum which opened in 1903 was free of charge for the residents of Boston as Isabella wanted them to experience the art and its collections. At one time, the museum had the largest private collection of art by a private individual.

Art left behind
The theft of 1990 did leave behind one critical painting. “The Rape of Europa” by Titian was left behind. It is one of the key paintings of the museum. This was brought from a London art gallery in 1896. According to many, the size of the painting may have prevented the thieves from taking it away.

The Napoleon Factor
In 2005, the FBI received information about the Rembrandt and the Vermeer being allegedly sold on the French island of Corsica. When the officials reached the island, they realized that two individuals were trying to sell something from an art museum in Nice. Corsica also happens to be the birthplace of French Emperor Napoleon.

Not the first time a Rembrandt was stolen
In 1975, one of the art thieves stole a Rembrandt from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Hence, the 1990 theft was not the first case.

An invisible thief?
One of the paintings known as Edouard Manet’s Chez Tortoni was not fully taken out. It was rather cut on the edges and the front part before it was taken out.

FAQs:

1. What is unique about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston?
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston hosts paintings from Europe, Asia, and America. It has a wide range of paintings, most of them valued at a high cost.

2. How many paintings are displayed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston?
There are 7500 paintings, ceramics, textiles, and furniture apart from 3000 rare books and 7000 archival objects at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.