Our Neighbors at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Posted June 26, 2018 by Ashley Jackson
Hi guys! This week I took the opportunity, as a fairly new resident to the Boston area, to explore our neighbors at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I have heard a lot about this museum and have been itching to get over. First things first, Simmons students get in free! I was prepared to pay the much-discounted student price of $5, but the lovely girl at the desk said no fee with my student ID! I believe this is true for the Museum of Fine Arts which is nearby as well.
It’s a gorgeous building and was Gardner’s home as well. She traveled the world looking for fine art, collected it, and brought it back to Boston to display in her house. She picked where each piece went so it is unique in that way and unlike any museum I have been to. Her pieces are amazing. I often found myself wondering how they shipped some of the pieces over to Boston.
Now for the juicy part. This museum is home of many works of fine art, such as pieces by Vermeer and Rembrandt. In the 90’s, two thieves dressed up as police officers were let in by the security guard and stole 13 works of art worth around $500 million dollars! I believe this is the largest heist in recent history, and the artwork has yet to recovered. You can read more about this with a quick google search, also there are a few books about the heist. I watched a few documentaries about it and have included the links at the bottom. It is fascinating. The ISG website has a disclaimer about the heist along with the reward if you know anything about it. A pretty hefty award too. The empty frames are hanging in the room where the crime went down and its sort of eerie seeing the frames on display without their art work.
Until next time!
A Dateline type of show covering the heist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTbhFNXFyJ0
Documentary trailer:
https://www.amc.com/video-extras/trailer-stolen-documentary
Security Camera footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSw1BsJEBB4
BBC Documentary: