Art Thieves Identified

The FBI has identified the thieves who stole 13 paintings from the Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990.

<i>The Concert</i> by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). Now missing, it is one of only 34 verified Vermeers.
Anthony Amore at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, with empty frames that held venerable paintings before the 1990 theft

In a law enforcement breakthrough, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on March 18 that it has identified the thieves who stole paintings valued at an estimated $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990, as the Boston Globe reports. The Gardner heist is widely considered history’s biggest art theft, and the FBI announcement came on its twenty-third anniversary.  The report states that the thieves are associated with a major criminal organization in New England and the mid Atlantic states, and that the paintings were sold in the Philadelphia area about a decade ago.  The paintings have not yet been recovered, though there is a $5 million reward for them or information leading to their recovery in good condition.

 The Gardner’s head of security, Anthony Amore, M.P.A. ’00, was the subject of an article in Harvard Magazine focusing on his 2011 book, Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists. The article links to a slide show of works purloined from the Gardner, and a video interview with Amore about art theft below.

You might also like

President Garber’s Quiet Installation

A private ceremony celebrated Garber’s appointment as president.

A Ministry of Presence

Capuchin friars bring food and supplies to Harvard Square’s homeless.

Seeing Methane from Space

How Harvard scientists hope to slow near-term climate change

Most popular

The World’s Costliest Health Care

Administrative costs, greed, overutilization—can these drivers of U.S. medical costs be curbed?

Home Unaffordable Home

America’s housing problem—and what to do about it

The Health Benefits of Owning a Pet

Animal companions help their owners live longer, happier lives.

Explore More From Current Issue

Do Ivy League Athletes Outperform in Careers?

How does undergraduate participation in varsity sports enhance career success?