Stolen

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Forthefirsttimeintwenty-sevenyears,TheGardnerMuseumhasauthorizedabookonthedaringtheftfromtheMuseumofthirteenpricelessworksofart,includingthreeRembrandtsandVermeersTheConcert,togetherworthover$500million.TheMuseumisoffering$10millionforsafereturnofalltheworks;theheistremainsthelargestunsolvedtheftinhistory.IntheearlymorninghoursofMarch18th,1990,twothievesdisguisedaspoliceofficerstalkedtheirwayintothemuseum,andtiedupthenightguards.Theycutsomeofthepaintingsfromtheirframesandstackedupotherstotake,leavingbehindapricelessRembrandtleaningagainstachest.ItisbelievedthatthethievescamefortheRembrandtsbuttheyalsostoleworksbyVermeer,Degas,Manet,andFlinck,aswellasaChinesebeakerandaNapoleoniceaglefinial.Eighty-oneminuteslatertheyweregone.In1903,IsabellaStewartGardneropenedherextraordinarymuseum,modeledafteraVenetianpalazzo,fortheenjoymentandeducationofthepublicforever.ShehadamassedanimpressivecollectionincludingsomeofthefinestmasterpiecesbyRembrandt,Titian,Raphael,andBotticelli,aswellasworksbyhercontemporariessuchasSargent,Whistler,andDegas.Theartworksincludedpaintings,sculptures,drawingsandprints,furniture,ceramics,glassware,books,manuscriptsandephemeraallbutthirteenofwhichremaininplacetoday.StolengivesaninsidelookattherobberyandexplorestheimpactofthemissingworkswithcommentaryfromtheMuseumsDirector,Curators,andtheChiefInvestigator.Theydescribehowthetheft,oftencalledacrimeagainsthumanity,hasaffectedvisitorsanddisruptedIsabellaStewartGardner’scarefularrangementoftheworks.Thebookishighlyvisual,withoriginalphotographsofthestolenobjects,aswellashowtheyoriginallylookedplacedinthegalleries.Stolen,theonlybookonthetheftcommissionedbytheGardnerMuseum,providesthecontexttoabrazenheistthatleftoneoftheworldsgreatmuseumsinsearchofitslostmasterpieces.