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How To Freeze A Boston Coffee Cake

Written By Thursday, September 29, 2022 Add Comment Edit
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The biggest art theft in history occurred at the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum, in Boston, Massachusetts. On March 18, 1990, ii burglars bankrupt into the museum and made off with 13 works of fine art, worth one-half a billion dollars. Despite a thorough investigation and several promising leads, the Gardner theft remains unsolved to this day. While the details of the theft have been widely publicized, many folks don't know much about the history of the museum and the incredible adult female who started it all.

Gardner established the popular fine art museum in Boston to hold her massive and valuable fine art collection. The museum is home to over 7,500 pieces of fine art, including paintings, article of furniture, silver, sculptures, textiles, ceramics and 1,500 rare books. The majority of the masterpieces came from ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy and Asia.

Let's accept a look at the events that led to Gardner's love for art, the museum'due south beginnings and the largest art heist in history.

Stewart Gardner'south Global Upbringing

Stewart Gardner was born in New York Urban center on April 14, 1840. Her father, David Stewart, made a living by importing Irish gaelic linen. Growing up, she lived in University Identify in Manhattan.

When she turned sixteen, Gardner moved to Paris with her family and completed her education abroad, allowing her to learn immediate about Renaissance art. In 1858, the family moved dorsum to New York. Before long later, Gardner went to Boston to visit a old Paris classmate, Julia Gardner. Gardner introduced Stewart Gardner to her brother, John "Jack" Lowell Gardner Jr.

Jack Gardner was in the banking business and a fellow member of Boston's upper class. Two years after Stewart Gardner met Jack Gardner in Boston, the two decided to tie the knot.

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On Apr x, 1860, Stewart Gardner and Jack Gardner married at Grace Church in New York City. Stewart Gardner's father gifted the newlyweds a business firm at 152 Buoy Street in Boston. The Gardners started a life together in their new Boston home, which was located on the Dorsum Bay's richest street. Shortly after, the Gardner's had a son, John Lowell Gardner III, born June 18, 1863. The new parents nicknamed their son "Jackie."

Stewart Gardner's Travel to Heal A Cleaved Heart

In the mid-1860s, a serial of unfortunate events struck Stewart Gardner's life. Her son, Jackie, died from pneumonia at less than two years old in 1865. A twelvemonth later, Stewart Gardner suffered a near-fatal miscarriage and establish out she was unable to have more than children. Around the same time, her sister-in-constabulary and close friend, Julia Gardner, passed away.

The terrible news left Isabella Stewart Gardner heartbroken and depressed. On the advice of her medico, in 1876, the Gardners traveled to Paris, Scandinavia and Russia for a year. During the trip, Stewart Gardner's wellness improved and she created scrapbooks of her adventures.

A Passion For Collecting Art Emerges

Stewart Gardner'due south trip to Europe and Russia made her eager to see the rest of the globe. In 1874, the Gardners traveled to the Middle East, Europe and Paris. The couple explored America, Europe and Asia in the late 1880s. During their adventures abroad, the couple gained an even greater knowledge of the arts and civilization.

The Gardners started collecting art in Europe. When Stewart Gardner inherited $1.75 1000000 from her father, she focused on growing her collection of European fine fine art. "The Concert" past Johannes Vermeer was ane of her start purchases. From Egypt to the Far East, the Gardners collected paintings and statues from around the earth in the late 1890s. The Gardners also began obtaining tapestries, photographs, silver and manuscripts during their travels. Venice, Italia, became her favorite city to visit considering artists frequently visited the Palazzo Barbaro, where the Gardners stayed. She became a regular at the palazzo, spending time with the artists and purchasing fine art.

She Asked Male Associates to Purchase Art on Her Behalf

Stewart Gardner became known for her massive art drove, merely many people didn't know that her male friends helped her learn some of her pieces. Art historian Bernard Berenson assisted her in acquiring almost 70 pieces alone. In the 1890s, almost art collectors were men; it was rare for women to collect art.

Fine art curator Christina Nielsen explained the sale process to WBUR, saying, "She has a man bid on her behalf. She sits in the back of the room, and she's got a handkerchief over her face. Her chief competitors were the National Gallery in London and the Louvre that day. And they realized they were bidding against each other — so they did a sort of gentlemanly bowing out. Meanwhile, her amanuensis swooped in and bought the motion-picture show and of a sudden Isabella Stewart Gardner was a well-known name in the art world overnight."

Isabella Built the Museum After Her Married man's Expiry

Past 1896, the Gardners discovered their enormous fine art collection barely fit in their Boston domicile. The couple dreamed of edifice a museum where they could keep their giant drove. However, Jack Gardner all of a sudden died of a stroke in 1898.

Later her hubby's death, Stewart Gardner worked difficult to brand their dream come truthful. She bought a piece of country in the Fens of England and hired architect Willard T. Sears to draw upward museum models inspired past Venice's Renaissance architecture. While Sears was in charge of constructing the museum, Stewart Gardner dictated the museum's design. When construction of the museum was completed in 1901, Gardner moved into the living quarters on the fourth floor and installed her collection throughout the museum portion of the building.

The Museum's Artwork Was Deliberately Arranged to Build a Narrative

For a year, Gardner advisedly installed each of the items on the start 3 floors of the museum. Every piece was purposely assembled in dissimilar rooms to create a story. Gardner wanted to inspire others to autumn in love with the art, rather than simply learn about the art'south history. Some pieces didn't even provide information nigh the painter or date of origin.

Gardner placed Titian's masterpiece "The Rape of Europa" in the Titian Room. The Titian masterpiece sits in a higher place a pocket-sized piece of Stewart Gardner'southward pale green silk gown designed by Charles Frederick Worth. In the Dutch Room, Gardner organized famous works past European artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein.

The Museum'due south Other Items

Not just did the museum characteristic famous paintings, simply information technology also presented rare books, manuscripts, furniture, tapestries, sculptures and decorative art pieces from the Gardner's travels. Many rooms displayed a mixture of these different pieces from various cultures and periods.

The Early Italian Room highlights Italian Gothic and Renaissance art. These paintings are surrounded by furniture and other decorative articles from dissimilar periods and cultures beyond Europe, Arab republic of egypt, the Middle Eastward and Asia. The Dutch Room includes Italian, Dutch and English pieces such every bit an Italian nightstand, a Dutch sugar basin and a Dutch table salt cellar.

Artists Spent Time at the Museum

The thousand opening of the museum was January. ane, 1903. Guests indulged in champagne and donuts while members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed. Scholar Charles Eliot Norton, philosopher William James, and symphony founder Henry Higginson attended the extravagant celebration. On Feb. 23, 1903, she welcomed the public into the museum.

Stewart Gardner likewise encouraged many artists, performers and scholars to visit the museum, such as John Vocalizer Sargent, Charles Martin Loeffler and Ruth St. Denis. Sargent used the museum's Gothic Room as a painting studio, while Loeffler posed as his model. Denis danced in the Cloisters, performing her signature slice, The Cobra. Stewart Gardner wanted the artists to notice inspiration from her cute collection and the museum'southward Venetian designs.

Continuing Her Legacy

Stewart Gardner connected to grow her fine art drove and personally installed the pieces in the museum for the remainder of her life. She passed away July 17, 1924, after suffering a series of strokes. Although Stewart Gardner was no longer living, she still dictated the museum's time to come.

According to her volition, the museum must remain open "for the education and enjoyment of the public forever." Information technology also specifies that aught in the museum tin be sold, relocated or removed. The museum was to exist maintained the fashion she left information technology, meaning new pieces weren't immune either. The collection remained untouched until March xviii, 1990 — afterwards 13 pieces valued at $500 million were stolen.

Suspects Arrived in Simulated Constabulary Uniforms

As Bostonians celebrated St. Patrick's Day during the early on hours of March xviii, 1990, two thieves sat inside a red Dodge Daytona on Palace Road well-nigh the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The 2 men were disguised as police officers and one of them had on a fake wax mustache.

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For almost an 60 minutes, the two criminals waited in their car to avert the St. Patrick'southward Twenty-four hour period party goers. As the crowd dispersed, the ii thieves began their elaborate plan. They exited their vehicle, walked to the entrance of the museum and pressed the buzzer most the door at ane:24 a.m.

A Museum Security Guard Let the Thieves In

The museum had two security guards on duty that night. After the first guard, Richard Abath, patrolled the museum, he came back to the front desk to change positions with the other baby-sit. Abath heard the buzzer and saw two men outside. They told Abath they were police officers who had heard a mayhem in the museum'south courtyard, and asked to enter the building.

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Although Abath knew that guards weren't allowed to open the door to uninvited guests, he wasn't certain if the protocol also applied to police officers. Abath believed the men considering of their uniforms. While the other guard patrolled the galleries, Abath immune the bearded men to enter.

Handcuffed and Tied

The thieves walked to the forepart desk-bound, where Abath was stationed. One of the intruders told Abath his face seemed familiar and that at that place was a warrant for his arrest. Abath, confused, left the front end desk surface area, where the only alarm button was located. The thieves immediately forced Abath to face up the wall and handcuffed him. Abath idea the abort was a mistake, merely apace noticed the intruders didn't search him before putting him in handcuffs. He also realized i of the thieves wore a faux mustache.

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A few minutes later, Abath'due south partner returned to the front desk and the thieves handcuffed him, too. The thieves and then revealed they came to rob the museum. The robbers took the guards to the basement, where they handcuffed them to pipes and wrapped their heads, hands, and feet with duct tape. The criminals moved on to the galleries to start their heist.

81 Minutes to Consummate the Largest Theft in History

The museum'due south motion detectors recorded the thieves' movements. First, the robbers entered the Dutch Room and approached Rembrandt's "Self-Portrait," but the local alarm went off. The thieves smashed the alert. Subsequently taking the "Self-Portrait" off the wall, the two men unsuccessfully tried to remove the painting from its wooden panel. They left the painting on the floor instead.

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The thieves went on to cut Rembrandt's "Christ in the Storm on the Body of water of Galilee" and "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" from the frames. Next, they took Vermeer's "The Concert" and Govaert Flinck's "Landscape with an Obelisk." The criminals stole a total of 13 pieces throughout the museum including a Chinese Bronze Gu, five Degas drawings, and an eagle finial. The robbery occurred in 81 minutes. At 8:xv a.g., police arrived at the scene and found the guards tied up in the basement.

The FBI Establish No Motive or Pattern

Believing that the stolen pieces would cantankerous country lines, the FBI quickly took over the case. The FBI thought the perpetrators were role of a criminal organization from the mid-Atlantic and New England. Throughout the investigation, the FBI held hundreds of interviews including with American drug lords and former museum guards.

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In addition, the FBI worked with many specialists, including top individual investigators, Japanese and French authorities, museum directors and fine art dealers. Although the FBI collected over a thousand pages of testify, the investigation uncovered no unmarried motive or blueprint. The FBI agent in accuse of the Stewart Gardner example, Geoffrey J. Kelly, has mentioned that the FBI knew the identities of the criminals, merely Kelly didn't say if the suspects remained dead or alive. Kelly has provided no further comment on the identities.

A Few Theories Nigh the Art Heist Accept Surfaced

One theory investigated by the FBI was that the heist was planned and carried out by the Irish Republican Ground forces, with the goal of eventually leveraging information to release their members from prison. A dissimilar theory suggested Boston's pinnacle crime boss, Whitey Bulgar, organized the robbery. The FBI as well had a theory that Myles J. Connor Jr. arranged the crime earlier he became New England's height fine art thief.

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In 2009, the Stewart Gardner Museum's director of security, Anthony Amore, heard a strange rumor. Amore said, "1 baroque theory was from people who say Mrs. Gardner speaks to them and tells them who stole the paintings. Also, others say mythical figures accept spoken to them almost the thefts."

One of the Main Suspects Was Boston Gangster Robert Donati

Boston gangster Robert "Bobby" Donati became the FBI's pinnacle suspect during the investigation. In 1997, Connor claimed Donati was his accomplice in organizing the Gardner robbery. Connor and Donati visited the museum together a few times before the theft. Also before the robbery, Donati went to a nightclub called The Shack, where he was seen carrying a bag of law uniforms.

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During the 1990 robbery, Connor remained in prison house, simply he said Donati managed the heist. In 1991, Donati was murdered. According to the New York Daily News, he may take been a victim in a gang state of war. The FBI eventually threw out Donati every bit a atomic number 82 suspect.

Another Main Suspect Was Robert "Bobby the Cook" Gentile

Gangster Robert "Bobby the Cook" Gentile was also on the FBI'south radar as a possible suspect. The FBI believed he held some of the paintings from the Gardner Museum heist. In 2012, the FBI raided his habitation in Manchester, Connecticut, after the FBI brought drug charges against Gentile. The FBI found nothing in the raid except for a list of how much each stolen slice would cost on the black market place. All the same, Gentile said he was innocent and knew nothing about the robbery.

Later in 2016, the FBI filed gun charges against Gentile to forcefulness him to talk nearly the location of the stolen fine art pieces. The federal prosecutor, John H. Durham, claimed Gentile and his mob partner Robert Guarente attempted to return two stolen artworks to reduce a prison judgement for one of Guarente's associates. Also, Guarente's married woman insisted Gentile possessed a few of the stolen paintings. Gentile'due south lawyer argued against these claims and said that Gentile didn't know anything about the heist. In 2018, Gentile was sentenced to 54 months in prison on gun charges, just still hasn't admitted to any knowledge well-nigh the whereabouts of the paintings.

A Few Leads Included a Letter and a New Video

In 1994, museum managing director Anne Hawley received a letter that assured the render of the stolen pieces for $2.6 million. The letter writer demanded that the museum get The Boston Globe to impress a coded message in the business section. Although the newspaper published the message, the mysterious writer disappeared after learning constabulary enforcement were involved.

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On Aug. 6, 2015, the U.S. Attorney's Office released a video that was taped the night earlier the heist at the Gardner Museum. On the 6-minute video, two men appear at the entrance of the museum. One man was identified equally Abath, the security baby-sit who was tied up during the robbery. The other homo remains unknown. Authorities have asked for the public'southward help to identify him in the footage. The video shows Abath buzzing the unidentified man into the museum twice. The human stayed in the lobby for a couple of minutes, exited and left in a car.

DNA Collected at The Law-breaking Scene Went Missing

Afterwards the robbery in 1990, police nerveless traces of Dna from the duct tape and handcuffs that the thieves used to agree the museum'southward security guards. In 2010, the FBI wanted to retest the evidence due to recent improvements in DNA analysis, hoping the new test would assist find the thieves. Withal, the evidence containing the Dna had disappeared.

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The FBI conducted a search for the crime scene evidence, only it was nowhere to be found. Investigators don't know when the show went missing, just anonymous sources claimed the evidence had been gone for over a decade. The FBI besides doesn't know if the items were misplaced, stolen or disposed of. The missing evidence became another setback for the Stewart Gardner example, which remains unsolved to this day.

A True-Criminal offense Podcast Investigated the Unsolved Art Heist Mystery

In 2018, WBUR, a public radio station, collaborated with The Boston Globe to produce a x-part podcast roofing the fine art heist mystery. The podcast, "Last Seen," covers the robbery, the suspects, people connected to the example and the FBI's investigation.

The team, led by WBUR members Kelly Horan and Jack Rodolico, researched the mystery for a yr. The podcast features many interviews, including ane with security guard Abath and his partner from the night of the crime. The museum'due south director of security, Affection, says, "Things like this podcast that can attain a large audience are important for keeping the story alive in people's minds and reminding the public that nosotros're never going to end looking for the stolen art."

A Documentary and Book Covering the Crime Was Released

In 2005, a documentary film called "Stolen" past Rebecca Dreyfus featured the famous heist. The documentary follows fine art detective, Harold Smith, as he looks into the robbery's investigation and the thirteen seized pieces. Smith chats with contemporary authors well-nigh Stewart Gardner'due south reputation as a famous art connoisseur and the works of Dutch painter Vermeer.

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum printed a pictorial book also named "Stolen" in 2018. "Stolen" provides data nearly the 13 stolen works of art and contains essays from primal staff members including Amore and Nielsen. Museum guests frequently ask for more details on the missing pieces, which inspired the museum to produce "Stolen."

The Famous Heist Is Mentioned Throughout Pop Culture

Many TV shows have featured the criminal offence, including "The Black List," "The Simpsons" and "Drunk History." In "The Black Listing," the episode "The Courier" features a criminal named Raymond Reddington looking at Rembrandt's painting "Christ in The Storm on the Bounding main of Galilee."

"The Simpsons" has an episode in which Mr. Burns possesses stolen art from the Stewart Gardner Museum at Burns Manor. As a event, the police arrest Mr. Burns and throw him in prison. In "Drunkard History," the episode "Boston" features ii criminals struggling to steal art and doing whatever they tin can to complete the heist.

Some of the Stolen Paintings

Govaert Flinck'south "Landscape with an Obelisk" from 1638 is one of the stolen works of art. The robbers took Flinck's painting from the museum's Dutch Room. Many art enthusiasts initially believed the picture belonged to the painter Rembrandt, but they later learned Flinck was the owner. Dutch painter Flinck was actually a student of Rembrandt, who helped influence his work.

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Flinck created "Mural with an Obelisk" using oil on wood. The beautiful painting features a stormy day, a fantasy landscape and an obelisk inspired by one that'southward near Amsterdam. The picture as well includes a bridge and a small human being on a equus caballus.

The Painting "Chez Tortoni" Was Some other Missing Piece

Another missing painting is Édouard Manet's "Chez Tortoni" from around 1875. The museum'due south Bluish Room used to hold Manet's famous artwork. Manet was known to create paintings in cafes that resembled snapshots.

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Manet'southward painting illustrates a swain with a mustache and a peak hat sitting in the Café Tortoni de Paris. The man is belongings a pencil in his mitt and writing on paper. The human being's eyes are positioned looking directly at the piece'due south viewer. Additionally, a drinking glass of wine sits on the gentleman's tabular array. WBUR describes the picture'southward brush strokes equally broad and tactile.

"La Sortie de Pesage" and "Three Mounted Jockeys" past Degas Were Stolen

Several Edgar Degas works disappeared in the heist, including "La Sortie de Pesage" and "Three Mounted Jockeys." These two paintings used to hang in the museum's Curt Gallery. Degas, a French artist, was pop for drawing dancers, but in "La Sortie de Pesage" he illustrated a oversupply of people, a jockey and a horse using pencil and watercolor. No i knows when Degas created "La Sortie de Pesage."

Photograph Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The thieves also stole the Degas painting "Three Mounted Jockeys" from around 1885. Degas created the slice with black ink and oil pigments. While one jockey sits upright on a horse, the other two jockeys are upside down in the painting.

"Program for an Artistic Soirée" One and Ii Were Taken

A couple more Degas works that vanished include "Plan for an Artistic Soirée" and "Program for an Artistic Soirée, Written report 2" from 1884. The criminals removed these Degas drawings from the Short Gallery's cabinets. Stewart Gardner had assembled the cabinets herself to showcase the artwork.

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Degas sketched the drawings with charcoal on white paper, which features the skirt and legs of a dancer. The drawing also includes a adult female belongings an open booklet and a human in a hat and wig side by side to a musical instrument. The 2d "Program for an Creative Soiree" appears more finished than the get-go sketch.

"Cortège aux Environs de Florence" and a Few Works By Rembrandt

Withal another Degas, the sketch "Cortege aux Surroundings de Florence" and a few Rembrandt works were also stolen. "Cortege aux Environment de Florence" used to be displayed in the Brusque Gallery. Degas drew the artwork with a pencil and used a sepia wash on newspaper. The sketch illustrates a carriage with horses, a woman with a giant umbrella and iii women who may be dancing. He finished this sketch around 1857.

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Other missing works include Rembrandt'south "A Lady And Gentleman In Black" and his most famous painting "Christ In The Storm On The Ocean Of Galilee" from 1633. The criminals stole both paintings from the museum's Dutch Room. The thieves also made off with his tiny sketch titled "Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man" from 1633. The sketch features Rembrandt's serious face with untidy hair. The thieves attempted to seize Rembrandt's "Self-Portrait" oil painting, but the job was unsuccessful.

The Thieves Also Took a Gu, a Finial and Vermeer's "The Concert"

From the museum's Dutch Room, the criminals fabricated off with a Chinese Gu (a bronze beaker) from 12th century BC. According to WBUR, the Gu was one of the most elegant and oldest pieces in the museum. Another detail removed from the museum was the bronze French Hawkeye finial from effectually 1813. The eagle was attached to a flagpole from Napoleon's First Regiment of Imperial Baby-sit. Although the eagle is gone, the flag remains in the museum.

WBUR reports that Vermeer'south "The Concert" is the rarest and almost valuable of the stolen works because few of his paintings be. Vermeer's painting is priced at $200 1000000. "The Concert" features three musicians surrounding a pianoforte and a black-and-white tiled floor.

The Museum and FBI Are Yet Looking for New Leads

Although the Gardner instance collected some promising leads, the identities of the criminals and the whereabouts of the 13 pieces remain a mystery. To this day, empty frames of the missing paintings hang on the walls. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum hopes that the stolen pieces will one 24-hour interval be returned. Currently, the museum is offering a $10 million advantage for information that can help recover the stolen pieces.

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The FBI, the museum and the U.South. chaser'southward office continue to search for new leads. The museum encourages anyone with data to reach out to the Stewart Gardner Museum. The museum'southward director says "I've spent more than than a decade preparing for any scenario. I'thousand very fix. I'll get anywhere. I'll meet with the devil for these paintings."

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