BOSTON (WHDH) - The Dutch Room at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which once housed many art pieces stolen in a brazen heist in 1990, is undergoing a massive restoration project, the museum announced Tuesday.
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. Thirteen paintings by masters including Rembrandt and Degas were stolen, some even cut from their frames. None of the art pieces have ever been recovered.
Anthony Amore, the Director of Security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, said the search is still active more than three decades later.
“That’s all we care about. Our primary and only focus is recovery. We’re not sitting back and waiting for a return, we’re looking for them. The museum has zero interest in prosecuting anybody. Our only goal is to return the works where Isabella Stewart Gardner hung them, the only place in the world that they can be displayed,” said Amore. “We will continue to work incredibly hard to get these paintings back and get the objects back, so that this team can make sure that they are stable and in beautiful condition.”
The museum’s Director of Conservation said the renovation is a huge undertaking.
“This is a literal floor to ceiling restoration project. As we can see today, we are also in the process of cleaning and restoring the 16th century painted ceiling from Italy,” said Holly Salmon, Director of Conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Both conservators and investigators said they are still holding out hope that the stolen art will be recovered and returned to the Dutch Room.
“It is pretty typical for massive pieces to be gone a generation,” said Amore.
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