Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum still seeks 13 masterpieces 36 years after heist
By Danae Bucci
Click here for updates on this story
BOSTON (WCVB) — Wednesday marks the 36th anniversary of the theft of 13 precious art pieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, including Rembrandt’s only seascape, in one of the biggest heists in history.
Despite decades of searching, the crime remains unsolved, but officials remain confident that the stolen pieces will eventually be returned. The intensive search has led investigators to many places, but investigators and museum conservators are still waiting for the pieces’ return.
“We do dream of that day because I said this whole room needs to be restored, and that is part of it,” said Holly Salmon, director of conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
“We developed a plan years ago, for every step of the recovery effort, exactly what we would do for every everything that would be required for us to do — from how they would get here to how we would speak to you, to how the team would repair them,” said Anthony Amore, director of security and chief investigator at the museum.
There is a $10 million reward for information leading investigators directly to the missing art, which can be prorated per piece.
“It’s incredibly rare for a stolen painting, especially a masterpiece, be destroyed. The last time a Rembrandt was destroyed was in the 1930s, and there have been 80 thefts since then without any being destroyed,” Amore said.
Amore said he is not interested in prosecuting anyone; he just wants the return of the stolen works.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.