The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft

By Ulrich Boser

“Boser cracks the cold case of the art world’s greatest unsolved mystery.”— Vanity Fair

One museum, two thieves, and the Boston underworld: the riveting story of the 1990 Gardner Museum robbery, the largest unsolved art theft in history. Perfect for fans of the Netflix series This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist!

Shortly after midnight on March 18, 1990, two men broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and committed the largest art heist in history. They stole a dozen masterpieces, including one Vermeer, three Rembrandts, and five Degas. But after thousands of leads, hundreds of interviews, and a $5 million reward, not a single painting has been recovered. Worth as much as $500 million, the missing masterpieces have become the Holy Grail of the art world and their theft one of the nation’s most extraordinary unsolved mysteries.

Art detective Harold Smith worked the theft for years, and after his death, reporter Ulrich Boser decided to pick up where he left off. Traveling deep into the art underworld, Boser explores Smith’s unfinished leads and comes across a remarkable cast of characters, including a brilliant rock ‘n’ roll art thief and a golden-boy gangster who professes his innocence in rhyming verse. A tale of art and greed, of obsession and loss, The Gardner Heist is as compelling as the stolen masterpieces themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061972867

Ulrich Boser

ULRICH BOSER is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he writes about social issues. Prior to joining CAP, he was a contributing editor for U.S. News & World Report and research director at Education Week. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of The Leap and The Boston Globe and national bestseller The Gardner Heist. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two daughters.

Reviews for The Gardner Heist

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This provides an overview of what happened the night of March 18, 1990 regarding the infamous heist at the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and the legwork that has taken place since (up to this book's publication date in 2007). From information that the author has gathered, some theories are presented about what may have happened to the 13 stolen artworks, who all might have been behind it, and its possible fate. Additional information was interesting, such as how common art crimes are, and a brief background on the founder of the museum herself.We visited this museum a few months ago, and it was goose-bump- inducing to see the empty frames in place of where the art was. Reading this soon after that experience really added context to both the visit and this book. Hopefully one day they'll all come back.

[mahallett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a little too long but quite interesting. i didn't know there were so many robberies from museums. enforced my negative feelings about the ira and i am of irish catholic heritage.

[krazy4katz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book on the state of the art in art crime detection at the time of the Gardner Heist. Unfortunately, the title is misleading because we don't really know the "true story". There is a lot of speculation, which I should have expected. I probably was interested in about half of what the book offered up.

[tgamble54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting but too long.

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Gardner Heist is one of the most famous art thefts of all time, especially since it remains unsolved and none of the stolen objects have ever surfaced. The bare bones of the theft go as follows: in 1990, two men dressed as police officers talk their way into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the early morning hours. They tie up the guards and make off with 13 works of art, including Vermeer's The Concert and a Rembrandt seascape. Their haul also included random items like the finial from the top of a Napoleonic flag.The FBI investigated and leads abounded, implicating everyone from local Boston criminals, to the mob, to Whitey Bulger, to the IRA. Whether or not any of the suspects had any role in the crime remains unknown. Ulrich Boser takes the angle of interviewing and following around an art detective working for insurance companies, Harold Smith. Smith has had some notable finds, but he's older and ill and dies soon after Boser begins his research, and this is where The Gardner Heist goes off track. The history of the museum, its founder and of the crime itself were well covered, but once Boser began conducting his own investigation, the focus of the book changed from the heist and the missing artwork to the adventures of Boser as he hangs out with grifters, retired policemen and criminals who have gone straight but who might know someone who knows something. Boser writes about every fruitless lead and wild goose chase he is sent on and long before he starts recounting his dreams and his imaginary conversations, I was reading the book solely to finish it. As far as solid information goes, there's a solid magazine article in here, underneath all the filler and fantasy. I would have rather just read an article.

[pattylee-621744 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Do not bother. This is a book about nothing really. But the Gardner is a great museum.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In 1990, two thieves dressed as policemen gained access to the Isabella Stewart Garnder Museum, trussed up the night guards, and made off with impressive loot, including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and a Chinese ku. Since then, the heist has never been solved, though many - such as Harold Smith - have pursued leads for decades that takes them from the Boston mob to the IRA. Ulrich Boser finds himself fascinated and starts pursuing leads both promising and fantastical, taking him into the seedy underbelly of art and museum theft.This is a fascinating tale - not only of an unsolved mystery but also how we can become obsessed. Would art be as beautiful if it were not so valuable? When does collecting become almost like an addiction, and why does possessing art make us feel a connection with the creator? The book was almost as fascinating for Boser's eventual obsession with the case as it was for the mystery of what could have happened in March 1990. It actually becomes a bit repetitive as lead after lead becomes a dead end and he has to swing back around to the beginning all over again. I also wondered what may have changed: for example, it was written before Whitey Bulger's apprehension, and I have to think that aspects that dealt with him need an update. Still, for anyone interested in art and true crime, this story of the investigation has a lot to offer.

[bogopea · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zealous research and interest by author of crime committed in 1990's that has captivated Massachusetts and the art world in general.

[christineellei · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a self proclaimed amateur art lover, this book was captivating and disturbing all at the same time. The well researched, true story of the art theft at the Gardner Museum in Boston. This book made me put the location on my list of “must visit” places.

[dyeabolical-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting look at the author's quest to recover art stolen from the Gardner museum. The author tracks down numerous leads, including developing relationships with some truly frightening underworld figures.

[lahochstetler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The largest unsolved art heist in history happened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. Two men stole twelve works of art including a Vermeer and several Rembrandts. The ripped and cut paintings out of frames, and the lot has never been found. Boser's book sets out to try and find out what happened to the missing art. The result is an intriguing look at art detection and the Boston criminal underworld. The methods art detectives use to recover works are often unorthodox. Detectives have to maintain a network of surly underworld contacts. This book was tremendously interesting. It is also somewhat depressing. It's frightening just how many works of art are stolen, and how poorly protected most museums are. Boser points out that many of us would like to believe that when artworks are stolen they are secreted away to private collections. In fact, that is almost never the case. Stolen art most frequently becomes currency in the criminal world, providing collateral for all sorts of unsavory underworld activities. Drugs, weapons, the mafia: stolen art funds all of them. Thieves are rarely punished because the most important objective for the art detective is to get priceless works back into museums. Boser does not ever recover any of the stolen works, but his journey is fascinating. I learned a great deal about art theft and recovery, and how the criminal world uses priceless works of art. Anyone with an interest in art or crime would enjoy this book.

[gregory_gwen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

would have been better if the robbery had been solved. Not the author's fault, but there would be a lot more closure.

[ltfl_jmls · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

would have been better if the robbery had been solved. Not the author's fault, but there would be a lot more closure.

[cameling_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum multiple times and have always loved the place, but have also felt sad whenever I visited some of the rooms where the reminders of the stolen masterpieces and artifacts are still left in place.This is a wonderful piece of researched investigative reporting that attempts to identify all the possible leads the FBI, the police and an amazing man, Harold Smith and then additional investigative follow ups by the author himself. He presents us with profiles of all the individuals who were suspected at some point or other with orchestrating, leading or being involved in the theft of the masterpieces. In addition to the profiles, we are presented with the journeys that stolen art sometimes take, from being reintroduced into the market and sold, to being traded as collateral in the underworld among terrorist organizations and the mafia. What I found interesting was the debunking of the theory I had that stolen masterpieces are often bought by private collectors who want to keep them for themselves in specially built basements.We may never know for sure where all the masterpieces are, and it is very likely that some of them may be damaged beyond repair, but as long they aren't found, the hope still lives that they will be found one day. I sincerely hope that will happen in my lifetime, because I'd love to see them restored to their rightful place in the Gardner museum.

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I visited thie Gardner Museum & fell in love with the place, where I was hooked on the mystery of those stolen paintings. Ulrich Boser does a great job telling the very complicated story of the investigations of this famous art heist. I loved the book even though I had a hard time keeping track of the many art detectives, conissuers, thieves, and underworld characters, but found it interesting enough to read the book very quickly.

[nohablo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and thorough peek into the world of art and the YOINKing of, crawling with fantastic storybook mobsters and cat-burglars. However, THE GARDNER HEIST is ultimately weighed down by Boser's slabs of unwieldy cliche-crutched writing*. I feel a bit bad being this negative, since, you know, it is a quick, earnest, informative, and not-atrocious read. And there's a great swift, engaging New Yorker article buried in here somewhere, entombed in the pages of Boser's (sorry!) clumsy narration, but as is, uuuuurgh. *Expect a lot of hammy TEARS BROUGHT TO EYES and AM I TOO DEEP? I MAY BE TOO DEEP. INTO THIS CASE I MEAN.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While Boston slept with a hangover from St. Patrick’s Day mayhem, on March 17, 1990, two thieves, disguised as policeman, convinced a security guard at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum to let them enter. Quickly taping and tying the guards in the basement, the two thugs then went on a leisurely 81 minute stroll throughout the museum where they slashed Rembrandts from the frames, punched and poked canvases, unscrewed a case holding a Napoleonic flag, and in the wake left glass and paint chips on the richly carpeted floors. In so doing, they raped and pillaged 13 incredibly valuable works of art that have never been recovered.Rapidly increasing in value, they are now valued at a whopping 500 million. Uninsured, the loss greatly stung the Gardner museum. Irreplaceable, the loss continues to sting all who can no longer enjoy Vermeer’s The Concert or Rembrandt’s one and only seascape The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.Perhaps forever gone is the ability to observe the white-whipped waves as they violently assault the deck of the ship, to feel the terror of the disciples as the fear for their life, to hear the wind as it slashes the mast and renders the boat tempest tossed.Forever gone? To the right of the canvas, the image of a sick disciple as he dramatically clings to the side of the ship and vomits into the sea, while behind him the halo of Christ shines above a serene face that will soon calm the waters.And, look at that clever Rembrandt! What a silly fellow! He is smack dab in the middle of the turmoil. Tam on his head, turquoise shirt on his body, he looks out at us as if to say “Here I am!” “I’m right where I belong, in the sea of Galilee with Christ and these guys!” “I’m hanging out with the good company of Christ!”Forever gone? Destroyed? Sitting in a garbage dump? Hidden for all to appreciate except a wealthy, selfish connoisseur who delights in his hidden treasure? Rotting away in a damp warehouse? Neglected in storage, surrounded by flakes of paint chips from the 1600’s?Boser’s well written book is hard to put down, yet it took more time than usual for me to read because it was packed with so many intriguing details.The author provides interesting biographical details of the wealthy Isabella who, like the Fricks, the Woolworths and The Havemeyers collected art, not only for the sake of beauty, but primarily for the social status it brought.Boser takes the reader on a wild ride into the underbelly of the art world where mobs use stolen art as a means to broker lighter sentences, where dealers scam the rich by double dipping, where the collection and theft of art is a fever that reaches near death proportionsHIGHLY recommended.

[othemts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For the 20th anniversary of the theft of 13 priceless art works from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, I read this book detailing the heist. The first chapter gives a blow-by-blow of all the known details of the heist itself in the early-morning hours of March 17, 1990. Next, Boser introduces Harold Smith, an art detective who dedicates many of the remaining years of his life gathering clues and following leads about the heist. After Smith dies in 2005, Boser himself picks up Smith’s casebook and begins immersing himself in the case to the point of obsession. The trail of the crime leads Boser to look into various Boston underworld characters such as a noted art thief, Whitey Bulger and his mob cronies, and even the Irish Republican Army. At one point the obsession gets ridiculous as Boser visits a town in Ireland thinking he’ll be able to pick Bulger off the street. In the end, there’s no solution yet for the mystery of missing art, but Boser gives some interesting insights into how art theft is perpetrated and how that art may hopefully be returned.

[jemima79_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The loss of a dozen masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is the topic of this true story. UlrichBoser opens the book with a description of how the theft took place - pieced together using all the available information. The remainder of the book discusses the clues, the suspects and the various detectives who have tried to solve the case. It gives the reader a detailed look at the issue of art theft including the motives and outcomes of these acts. It also describes the work involved in solving this type of crime and the tenacity needed to follow it through.On a recent trip to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum with my book club I was able to view the empty frames which are all that remain of the stolen masterpieces. The art that is stolen is generally believed to be ruined and lost forever. Even the millions of dollars offered in reward have not been able to bring about its recovery. UlrichBoser's book highlights the way in which the missing art lodges itself in the consciousness of all the people who have tried to solve the crime or otherwise been involved. The loss is so potent because of the historic and cultural significance of the pieces and the multitudes of people who have subsequently been denied the opportunity to view the stolen art. The Gardner Heist began as a fascinating book, but seemed to get boring and bogged down in endless speculations in the last half. While I did enjoy learning about the heist and the people who have tried to solve the crime, I think that the book would have been more enjoyable if it were shorter and not quite so detailed about all the Boston crime personalities that could have, might have, possibly were involved.

[upstairsgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I devoured this book. Boser has some grammar and word-choice tics that bugged me at first, but the story is absolutely gripping. He talks about the quest to find the artworks stolen from the Gardner museum becoming almost a mania, and about doing completely insane things as he gets more and more caught up in unraveling the story. It's fascinating, and it really makes you want to quit your day job and look for stolen art. The characters who populate this unsolved mystery are people you couldn't make up - a teenage rockstar turned art thief, a merchant marine with one eye and no nose turned insurance adjuster turned art theft detective, mobsters, a "reformed" British criminal turned go-between and conspiracy theorist, FBI agents, curators. Ultimately, the book is unsatisfying, as it must be, because the paintings haven't been recovered, and no one knows for sure who stole them. But Boser's chase, and the people he meets along the way, make a fantastic story. This is a great, quick read.

[jcbrunner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum is a gem of a museum. Not so much for the quality of its collection (which is only outstanding in art starved America) but in its unique composition, arranged in period rooms in a wonderful building. During my visit, I actually liked the empty frame setting caused by the tragic theft which is the topic of this book. Ceci n'est pas un tableau.If museums do not one to ruin their patron's art experience, the open display of art makes its theft by a determined crew rather easy, as the recent thefts from Oslo's Munch Museum and the Bührle Collection in Zurich show. Or museums can dupe their patrons by showing fakes (as is the custom in the Vienna Albertina, a practice aknowledged in tiny writing in the rooms). In the case of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (and also the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum, briefly mentioned in the book), security was seriously out of date - a management failure of the highest order. Insider knowledge may have played a part (In the Vienna case, the robber, owner of a small burglar alarm installation business, heard through the grapewine that the museum's alarms were weakened during renovations.).Ulrich Boser's account is a highly readable account that suffers from the unresolved nature of the crime. As long as the paintings have not turned up, any conjectures remain speculative. Boser has to stuff his book with implausible suspects and dead ends to reach booklength. In my opinion, a magazine article would have suited the assembled material better. I did not enjoy the company of Boston's crooks and liars as much as Boser obviously did.The reading experience is lessened by quite a number of easy to check art history mistakes, a discord to his often proclaimed exuberant love for the paintings. Unless we are talking about Zombie Manet, he did not walk around in turn-of-the-century Paris. Vermeer paintings do not show ascot-wearing men (which would be an anachronism). Overall, a nice read (with a strong first part) about a great museum. If they finally find the (remnants of the) paintings, Boser may fulfil its title.

[mthelibrarian_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book contains an interesting theory of the famous unsolved art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (one of the great art treasure troves) in Boston. But moreover, it captures the essence of the place and how quickly these thefts (plainly in view with empty frames in place of artworks) become completely engrossing. If you are ever in Boston, by all means, GO to the Gardner Museum. You'll never forget it.