BOSTON (WHDH) - An empty frame hangs on the wall of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — part of a new restoration project.
The painting once held in that frame was stolen in a now-infamous heist.
Thirty-five years ago this week, 13 pieces of art were taken in the dead of night and never recovered. 7 Investigates is digging into the robbery.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Dutch Room is one of the most famous art galleries in the world.
“We really want to make sure that we are capturing what Gardner intended us to see,” said Holly Salmon, the museum’s director of conservation. “She was very specific about every detail of her spaces from floor to ceiling.”
Every inch of the room is a work of art — one that Salmon and her team are tasked with restoring. But it’s what’s missing from the room that draws the most attention.
“The restoration isn’t complete until we can see the paintings back in this room,” Salmon said.
On March 18, 1990, two thieves dressed as Boston police officers tied up the museum’s security guards and made their way to the Dutch Room.
Masterpieces from Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, and Degas — gone without a trace, in the largest art heist in history.
Anthony Amore is the museum’s director of security. He spends his days following up on any tip that might lead him to the missing art.
“The first thing that they take is The Storm on the Sea of Galilee [by Rembrandt],” said Anthony Amore, the museum’s director of security. “This is the frame that held Vermeer’s The Concert. This was the most valuable thing that’s ever been stolen and it remains missing.”
Amore believes he knows who’s behind the heist, but he’s more interested in finding what was stolen. He thinks the paintings are hidden somewhere in New England.
“If I was a betting man, I would say they’re in the local area,” Amore said. “I don’t think they traveled very far or we would know.”
7 Investigates has learned Amore and the FBI have conducted 20 searches over the last 10 years. And Amore says he gets new leads every day.
“I’ve ripped open garbage bags and found stolen paintings within, but they weren’t our paintings,” he said. “I’d be dishonest if I didn’t say that the gut punches don’t temper your expectations.”
Amore will talk to anyone who might know something about the crime.
“I’ll speak to the devil if that’s what it takes to get the paintings back in the frames,” Amore said. “These are easy to hide. They could be in crawlspaces, and attics, in basements. If you see them, let us know.”
As for the restoration team, they’re optimistic that one day, the empty frames will be filled again.
“I’m always going to be waiting and I’m hopeful and I know they will come back someday,” Salmon said.
Investigators believe the art is still intact, wherever it may be. There is a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen works.
Anyone with information about the stolen artworks or the investigation should contact the Gardner Museum directly at 617-278-5114 or reward@gardnermuseum.org.
You can learn more about the heist on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s website.
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