The FBI’s Press Conference on the Gardner heist, held on the 23rd anniversary of the crime, revealed some new information considered sensational by the media. The largest property crime in peace-time history saw the theft of thirteen artworks, valued around $500 million during one 81-minute theft from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The crime was perpetrated during the night after the St. Patrick’s Day revels, in 1990. A $5 million reward still stands for information leading to the successful recovery of all the works in question. Myriad theories have swirled around who was behind this crime, for surely it was some larger organized crime group, more elaborate than the two thieves disguised as policemen who bluffed their way into the museum, tricking student security staff into opening the door without first checking with the police department. The same criminals had tried another tactic some days prior to the theft, when one of their gang, posing as a mugging victim, frantically banged on the service entrance door to the museum, screaming for help. That night, with professional security staff on duty, the door was not opened, and it was noted that the “mugging victim” was seen leaving amicably with his “muggers” later that night. But the crime was eventually successful, with works by Rembrandt and Vermeer headlining the haul.
The FBI, along with my friend and colleague Anthony Amore (current security head of the Gardner and a passionate, smart investigator into the case, gave a press conference revealing some information that will be new to the public, but which is a bit less exciting than it sounds. In the press conference, which was phrased as an appeal for information, it was revealed that the investigation has shown that the Gardner works passed through several hands after the theft, that they were transported through Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and were offered for sale in Philadelphia. This is useful information, as some theorists suggested that the works were destroyed, or had been shipped to Ireland (with IRA links to the theft—the IRA were involved in quite a few major art thefts). Since the story of the theft has been told many times, in many books and articles, I won’t go into it here. But the only thing investigators could agree on was that a large-scale organized crime syndicate was behind the theft, whether a Boston-based syndicate (perhaps led by Whitey Bulger), the IRA, the Corsican Mafia, or some other group.
While the press conference was interesting to update the general public, those of us in the know have been aware of the information revealed for some time. The way the press conference was phrased, as an appeal for information, demonstrates that while huge progress has been made, the investigation is at something of a stand-still. Much is known, but not quite enough to recover the stolen art, which seems to be intact and largely unharmed, all 13 pieces. For years now a number of prominent investigators, in addition to the FBI’s official investigation, have been searching for clues (occasionally competing with one another to do so), and have made enormous strides. Hats off, in particular, to Anthony Amore, who has made finding the Gardner loot his all-consuming passion. He arrived at the Gardner after the crime took place, and has reformed the museum’s security and policy in brilliant ways, as well as spear-heading the search for what had been stolen from his museum. It was telling that Amore stood with the active FBI investigators at the press conference—it is through the combined efforts of independent and Bureau detectives that this case stands the best chance of being solved.
The new information is good and demonstrates progress, but it has been known for some time by informed parties, and its presentation also shows that the investigation is stuck. The art will surely be recovered, and not far into the future. But for now, the release of some interesting information to the press is a hope of sparking renewed interest and information, in hopes of that final lead that will bring investigators to the stolen art. Fingers crossed that all will be resolved soon. With the combined efforts of the FBI and private investigators like Anthony Amore, there is much to hope for.
Noah Charney is a professor of art history specializing in art crime and a best-selling author. He teaches the history of art crime on the ARCA Postgraduate Certificate Program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection.
