ART + ARCHITECTURE
Today the entire museum is approxi-
mately 133,000 square feet in total;
the new building is 70,000 square
feet and the Palace (historic building)
is 63,000 square feet. In 2017, the
Gardner Museum welcomed more
than 300,000 visitors.
THE THEFT
In the early morning hours of March 18,
1990, a pair of thieves disguised as police
officers entered the Gardner Museum and
stole 13 works of art by world-renowned
artists such as Manet and Degas. The works,
including Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm on
Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth is currently
on exhibition. Sarah Whitling of the
museum’s marketing team explains that
this is a “once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.
On display together for the first time
in more than 200 years are four newly
restored reliquaries painted for the
church of Santa Maria Novella in
Florence. Visitors and reviewers alike
are dazzled by Fra Angelico’s genius
storytelling and brilliant use of color
and gilding.”
the Sea of Galilee (his only known seascape)
and Vermeer’s The Concert, are worth more
than $500 million. It remains the biggest
unsolved art theft in world history.
Today empty frames hang in the Museum
as a placeholder for the missing works.
Sarah Whitling, Museum Marketing, says,
“The theft is an active and ongoing inves-
tigation and we remain hopeful for the
return of the artworks. The museum, the
FBI and the US Attorney’s office are still
seeking viable leads that could result in
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
is in the Fenway–Kenmore neighbor-
hood of Boston near the Back Bay
Fens at 25 Evans Way. Guided tours
and talks are available throughout
the week. For more information, visit
gardnermuseum.org. n
safe return of the art There’s a reward of
$10 million for information leading directly
to the recovery of all 13 works in good con-
dition. A separate reward of $100,000 is
being offered for the return of the Napole-
onic eagle finial.” Anyone with information
about the stolen artworks or the investiga-
tion should contact the Gardner Museum
directly. Confidentiality and anonymity
are guaranteed. Contact: Anthony Amore,
Director of Security, 617-278-5114,
[email protected].
SPRING 2018
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