The 1990 heist that left $500 million in masterpieces missing
In short: In just over an hour, two men dressed as police officers bypassed security to steal 13 world-renowned works. This video reconstructs the timeline of history's most famous art theft and explores why these pieces remain missing today.
On March 18, 1990, at 1:24 AM, two individuals entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by posing as Boston police officers. They spent 81 minutes inside the gallery, removing a Vermeer and Rembrandt's only seascape from their frames before fleeing.
Despite the FBI claiming to know the identities of those responsible, all 13 stolen masterpieces remain missing over three decades later. A $10 million reward remains active for information leading to their recovery.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: $500M Vanished: The Greatest Art Heist Ever
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