Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Review
Based on online research and 46 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum reviews, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s overall score is 4.0 out of 5 stars. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s review score is based on Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s customer ratings, its brand popularity, its price competitiveness, as well as the breadth and quality of features it offers to customers. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum review table below incorporates summarizes 46 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum ratings on 0 features such as , and . You can also compare Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum against popular alternatives likeBirch Aquarium at Scripps, Meow Wolf and American Museum of Natural History. or you can view the top 50 brands in similar categories, such as , and .
Story Time With Peter: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist
November 8, 2018Peter Campbell
Boston has a lot of cool history. Even if you don’t feel like you know very much about Boston, you still probably already knew that. This was the city where the Revolutionary War started! The Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, the Salem Witch Trialsthe early history of the Boston area is rich with some of the most riveting stories that American history has to offer. And moving into the modern era, Boston still managed to be the site of some of America’s most interesting historical sagas, from the Boston Strangler, to the Great Molasses Flood. However, to me, one story stands out above the rest, and it didn’t happen all that long ago.
The story I’m talking about is the heist of the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum, which happened in 1990.
This heist saw the loss of 13 pieces, worth a combined value of approximately $500 million, making it arguably the most significant art theft in history, as well as the largest theft of private property ever. It should also be noted that the museum is still offering a $10 million reward for the safe return of these pieces.
But before we get into all the juicy details, let me fill you in on what the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum is…
A Tantalizing Clue Emerges In The Unsolved Gardner Museum Art Heist
Boston police officers tell local media that the 1991 murder of Jimmy Marks might be linked to modern historys biggest art heist
Daily Correspondent
Authorities say new information on a 1991 cold case murder has provided fresh clues that may lead to the culprits behind the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist, reports Bob Ward for Boston 25 News.
The 1990 theft was the biggest art heist in modern history. On the night of March 18, two thieves dressed as policemen walked into the poorly secured Boston museum after midnight. After duct-taping two hapless security guards, the men escaped with 13 paintings valued today at some $500 million dollars, including priceless works by Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer.
Over the years, investigators have established several likely suspects that may have been involved in the crime. Yet despite a Netflix television series, a hit investigative podcast from the Globe and WBUR and a $10 million reward promised by the FBI, the location of the stolen paintings themselves remains a mystery. The FBI said it believed the artwork was moved through organized crime circles to Philadelphia, where the trail went cold around 2003, reported Shelley Murphy of the Boston Globelast fall.
The Concert
The assailant shot Marks twice in the back of the head and fled the scene. The crime remains unsolved.
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,
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The Legacy Of Isabella Stewart Gardner
Until her death in 1924, when in residence at the museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner lived on the fourth floor. After her death, it became the residence for the museum’s director. During the 1980s this privately-owned institution struggled financially, and the building was in a bad condition. In 1982 the FBI unraveled the plot by Boston criminals to plunder the museum in 1982, so the security had to be improved. Despite these efforts, in 1990 the museum was robbed, and thirteen works of art were stolen. The police were unable to locate the thieves.
Isabella’s testament specified the endowment of $1 million and outlined stipulations for the support of the museum, including the instruction that the permanent collection should not be significantly altered. She also left bequests to Animal Rescue League of Boston, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Industrial School for Crippled and Deformed Children. Since the art patron was a devoted Anglo-Catholic, in her will she requested that the Cowley Fathers celebrate an annual Memorial Requiem Mass for the repose of her soul in the museum chapel, and so this obligation is performed each year on her birthday.
Editorsâ Tip: Eye of The Beholder: Masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Featured image: Views of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. Photo: Sean Dungan images via Wikimedia Commons.
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The Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum: A Quick History
Anybody care to wager a guess as to who the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum is named after?
If you guessed Isabella Stewart Gardner, you were correct. Give yourself a pat on the back. Isabella Stewart Gardner lived from 1840 to 1924. She was born to a wealthy family in New York City, and moved with them to Paris at the age of 16. She would return the U.S. at the age of 18 and promptly marry one John Lowell “Jack” Gardner, who was three years older than her. A few years later, Isabella was pregnant with a baby boy. He was named John Lowell Gardner III , and he died of pneumonia at the age of 2. Isabella tried to have another child, but suffered a miscarriage, after which doctors promptly told her that she would not be able to bear any more children. And if all that wasnt enough, she had a sister-in-law and a close friend also die around this same time. Understandably, Isabella became extremely depressed. Before long, she was completely withdrawn from society.
Thats when the doctors recommended that Jack take her on an extended trip to Europe. They spent almost a year back in Paris, with excursions to parts of Scandinavia and Russia as well. Turned out that bit of travel worked wonders for her, because by the time she returned home to Boston she was, once again, full of life. She began a new life as one of Bostons most eccentric socialites, setting sail soon after to travel through Asia, the Middle East, and more of Europe. This is when she began collecting art.
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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Review: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Pros & Cons
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a well-known art museum store which competes against other art museum stores likeBirch Aquarium at Scripps, Meow Wolf, American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn Museum and LACMA. Based on our in-depth Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum review, when compared to its competitors, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a mid-range performing brand within its category. Read the full Gardnermuseum.org review below for more details.
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Knoji has 46 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum reviews and ratings as of March 7, 2022. Knoji editors and the Knoji shopper community have reviewed Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and compared it against 0 top brands, reviewing Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum based on product and store features such as , and . Knoji reviews and ranks Gardnermuseum.org and other art museum stores based on how many features each offers and based on a 5-star rating scale. Based on these factors and 46 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum reviews, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum earns an overall score of 4.0 out of 5.0 points. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum offers 0 total features such as , and . Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s’s review score also factors in its popularity, which is in the mid-range compared to competing .
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum currently has 1 active discount codes. You can view all Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s coupon codes here
Robert Gentile Sole Remaining Person Of Interest In Gardner Museum Heist Has Died At 85
had connections to subjects suspected of being involved in the Gardner museum heist, Lynn deputy police chief Mark OToole told the Boston Globe. We dont know what, if any, role he had. But very likely it was related to his death.
Investigators believe that Guarente was at one point in possession of two of the stolen works, which he then handed over to another person named Robert Gentile. Gentile, who died in 2021, continually denied having any involvement in the theft or having been in possession of any of the works until his death.
A recent tip to investigators said that prior to his death, Marks was bragging that he was not only in possession of some of the stolen Gardner artwork, he bragged that he had hidden it, according to Boston 25. Police recently searched the Lynn apartment where Marks once lived, but did not recover anything.
At the time that was killed, the chief suspect in that homicide is someone we believe had two of the Gardner paintings, Gardner Museum Security Chief Anthony Amore told Boston 25. It certainly sets off some flashing lights that this needs to be investigated more thoroughly.
Shortly after Markss death, investigators first were able to place Guarente and Gentile in the same place. Amore told Boston 25, The fact that these people converge here around the time of the Marks homicide certainly makes a person hunting for the Gardner paintings sit up and pay attention.
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The Story Of The Heist
If you know much about Boston, you probably know that it is, historically, very Irish. Every March 17, Boston goes all out celebrating St. Patricks Day with parties, parades, and obscene amounts of alcohol, giving even Ireland itself a run for its money .
Anyway, it was St. Patricks Day, 1990. Or, at this point it actually would have been in the wee hours of the morning, March 18. Most of Boston was out still out drinking. At 1:24am, 2 police officers rang the buzzer of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, telling the night guard through the intercom that they were responding to a disturbance call. So the night guard let them in.
Once inside, the officers approached the front desk, remarking that the security guard looked familiar. They then informed the guard that there was a warrant out for his arrest, and began the process of arresting him. They had him stand up, face the wall, and then put handcuffs on him. Somewhere in the midst of being arrested, the guard noticed that one of these officers was wearing a fake mustache. And aside from that, there were other elements of what was happening that felt a bit fishy.
The guard apparently replied, Dont worry, they dont pay me enough to get hurt.
From there they locked the guards in the basement of the museum, cuffing them to pipes and wrapping duct tape around their legs, hands, and entire heads .
But Peter, dont they have any leads??
Legend.
Extension And Preservation Project
In 2002, after a two-year master planning process, the museum’s board of trustees determined that a new wing was necessary to preserve the historic building and to provide improved spaces for programs that continue Isabella Gardner’s legacy. In 2004, Pritzker Prizewinning architect Renzo Piano and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop were selected to design the new wing. In 2009, the final approval for the expansion project was given, but there was much debate about the carriage house. The carriage house, originally built in 1907, was argued to be important for the intent of the first owners, yet the building was torn down in hopes of having the museum preserve the main building. In 2016, the new wing was praised for its appearance by the Boston Society of Architects and awarded a medal for its beauty. The design for the new wing is conceived as a respectful complement to the historic Museum building in scale, form, and materials.
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Five Great Female Art Patrons In History
Netflix is streaming the four-part docuseries This Is a Robbery: The Worlds Biggest Art Heist about the notorious event that took place 30 years ago in the middle of the night on St. Patricks Day. 13 priceless works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, located in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. The case remains unsolved and the whereabouts of over 500 million dollars worth of stolen art is still unknown. The Netflix series gives a detailed explanation of the various trails and theories that authorities and committed experts exhausted in their effort to recover the stolen works of art but no such luck.
Even though the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is the setting for this grim story, it remains in the background. Any art lover would agree that the Netflix retelling of this crime feels incomplete because insufficient airtime is given either to the history of this unique museum or the life of its enigmatic founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner. In the context of This Is a Robbery, the museum is a beautiful distraction. There is an even more interesting story that precedes the robbery it is that of Isabella Stewart Gardner and Fenway Court.
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“A couple of years back, this store was one of my favorites. I became familiar courtesy of the South End store. I’ve bought floor lamps, several plant stands, a funky mirror and a truly lovely ceramic. Approximately 3 years ago I returned, only to be totally disappointed by the new set-up. The “finds” have been “pre-found”, and you must bid on them. This assures the store the highest price for good items, and they are a charity, but nothing for the hunter to purchase. I return once every year, in hopes they have realized they’ve destroyed the fun, and re-established the original format. No success. They are a fine Aids-based charity, but other than making a donation, nothing to be found here … no bargains, no fun, no deals, no joy. Truly too bad.”
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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
A pre-opening tour at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum! One of Bostons treasured gems, a spot where locals and tourists collide, and for great reason: its beautiful. Filled with European, Asian, and American art, encircling a courtyard, and gorgeous rooms, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is paradisiacal. And even more so on this pre-opening tour just for you.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist Murder Timeline: Five Deaths Of Suspects Followed Infamous Boston Mob Robbery That Remains Unsolved
In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, two men dressed as Boston policemen robbed the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the biggest art heist in world history. The men got away with a half-billion dollars in rare paintings from the likes of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Manet. Nobody has ever been arrested in the crime and the paintings have never been recovered. The FBI suspects a Boston mob crew based out of Dorchesters TRC Electric Auto Shop pulled off the job and then the New England mafia began covering their tracks by murdering some of the participants in the conspiracy.
Boston mob associate James Marks is gunned down after returning to his Lynn, Massachusetts apartment from a day in Maine. Marks had bragged of his role in the Gardner Museum heist and his access to the stolen paintings. In the hours prior to his slaying, Marks had spent time at of one of the robbery suspects Portland, Maine hunting cottage and was supposed to meet him back at his Massachusetts residence the night he was murdered.
Boston mob associate George Reissfelder is found dead in his Quincy apartment of a cocaine overdose believed by many to have been a case of murder. Reissfelder, who once was serving a life prison term on a homicide case that got tossed, is believed by some to have been one of the stick-up men in the Gardner Museum robber
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A Look At Isabella Stewart Gardner The Art Patron
It is always interesting to look closer at how art history was written and how we learn about the leading Western painterly masters whose works still dazzle people around the globe. Along with devoted art historians, there were also passionate art patrons who had the vision to empower artists by supporting them financially and collecting not only paintings and sculptures but other commodities as well.
Interestingly but not surprisingly so, the art patrons were mostly men, but before the 20th-century emancipation of women that came along with Modernism, and before one Peggy Guggenheim, there was another important and equally fierce female art patron – Isabella Stewart Gardner.
Gardner was a leading American art collector and philanthropist who founded the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, home to an incredible collection of a great number of precious artifacts. This notable figure was an avid traveler, willing to explore and satisfy her intellectual curiosity. Throughout her lifetime Gardner was a friend of established artists and writers of the day such as John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Henry James, James McNeill Whistler, Okakura Kakuzo, and Francis Marion Crawford.
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