BOSTON (WHDH) - An art heist that has puzzled investigators for more than 27 years is still unsolved, and the museum is now doubling the hefty reward in hopes of earning new leads on the stolen works.
The board of trustees at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announced a doubling of its reward from $5 million to $10 million for information leading to the 1990 theft of 13 pieces of art that were stolen from the facility.
Officials say the reward is available immediately and expires on Dec. 31.
The increase from $1 million to $5 million, which happened in 1997, was the largest private reward in the world.
On March 18, 1990, two people dressed as Boston Police officers stole 13 works of art including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Manet, and Degas. It is the largest art heist in history. The Vermeer painting is considered one of the most valuable stolen objects in the world.
All told, the stolen paintings have an estimated value of $500 million.
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