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Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft
Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft | Ulrich Boser
14 posts | 15 read | 25 to read
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 and a $5 million reward none of the paintings have been recovered. Worth as much as $500 million, the missing masterpieces have become one of the nation's most extraordinary unsolved mysteries.After the death of famed art detective Harold Smith, reporter Ulrich Boser decided to take up the case. Exploring Smith's unfinished leads, Boser travels deep into the art underworld and comes across a remarkable cast of characters, including a brilliant rock 'n' roll thief, a gangster who professes his innocence in rhyming verse, and the enigmatic late Boston heiress Isabella Stewart Gardner herself. Boser becomes increasingly obsessed with the case and eventually uncovers startling new evidence about the identities of the thieves. A tale of art and greed, of obsession and loss, The Gardner Heist is as compelling as the stolen masterpieces themselves."
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NatalieR
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Pickpick

I purchased this audiobook through one of Audible‘s 2 for 1 sales. I love art and was curious to learn about the infamous, unsolved art heist that took place in Boston in 1990. This book provides a foundation of knowledge about the heist, the museum, and an extensive look into the thieves.

Full review, videos, and more at https://abookandadog.com

Original painting pictured by artist, PoeSoul Studio, available at https://poesoulstudio.com

mrp27 I‘m so intrigued by this story. If you haven‘t already checkout the documentary on Netflix. I‘m currently reading this book that you might like as well. (edited) 7mo
NatalieR @mrp27 Thanks for the recommendations! 😀 7mo
mrp27 🤗 7mo
79 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Luccaolivet
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I am reading a book about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's 1990 heist. The book is somewhat non-fiction but it still has a lot of elements of conflict. The central conflict of the book is how so many people have tried to solve this case and find out where the paintings are, but no one has ever cracked it. The conflict tells the story of the largest unsolved art theft in the history of the world.

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LeslieO
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Just reading about an art heist and waiting for 4 feet of snow to fall! ❄️❄️☃️💨🌨

39 likes1 stack add
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LeslieO
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#thisweekinnewbooks : my #bookshelftville subscription plus one kindle bargain. What restraint! #TBR

39 likes1 stack add
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BarbaraJean
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Mehso-so

I have mixed feelings about this. The story is fascinating, as it investigates the unsolved theft of a dozen paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. But I felt like it was a bit disjointed—it went down too many rabbit trails without bringing it together into a coherent whole. And there were far too many errors in the text that should have been caught by an editor & made me frustrated overall with the carelessness of the text.

40 likes1 stack add
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BarbaraJean
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It‘s been a while, but here‘s a #BookReport / #WeeklyForecast:

Completed:
👑The Goblin Emperor (so good!)

In Progress:
🖼The Gardner Heist

Up Next:
🌊The Unmapped Sea (audiobook)
⚡️The Minority Council

Ongoing: (daily/weekly readings)
📕Word by Word
📖Introducing the New Testament

Cinfhen Yay!!! Glad to see you back posting and sharing 💚💚💚 4y
BarbaraJean @Cinfhen Thank you!! I have so many reviews I need to post... 😬 4y
38 likes2 comments
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BarbaraJean
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This kind of thing drives me crazy. It‘s AUBREY Beardsley, not Audrey. Admittedly this is popular nonfiction about an art theft, not a scholarly work. And the author is a reporter, not an art historian, but still. Neither am I, but I know it‘s not “Audrey Beardsley.” (I know my Oscar Wilde! 😁) At the very least, an editor should have caught this. And this isn‘t the first clunky error I‘ve spotted so far... sigh.

LiteraryinLawrence That‘s annoying. Good catch! 4y
Ruthiella Yes, the copy editor should have caught that. 😬 4y
48 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TheSpineView
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@vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Promt: Museums

Tagged book is the true story of the largest unsolved art theft. Two men stole a dozen masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. Fascinating story!

TheBee I‘m an art historian. I want to read this!!! Thanks. On my stack 🤩 6y
TheSpineView @TheBee Welcome! I think you will enjoy! Well researched and you will not believe some of the things he that happened. 😊 6y
mabell The mustaches! 😂😂 6y
vkois88 Wow! Sounds good 6y
57 likes2 stack adds4 comments
review
Dogearedcopy
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Pickpick

In 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was robbed of 13 works of art, including a Rembrandt, a Vermeer, and a Manet 😔

This is the NF account of the author‘s obsession with the case: How was it done? Who are the players? What happened to the artwork?

While not the most compelling narrative, it still makes for interesting reading.

3.75/5.0

RidgewayGirl I thought there was a little too much of Boser and not enough about art and the museum, but it was still an interesting story. 6y
Dogearedcopy @RidgewayGirl Yeah, I really wanted more on the paintings & drawings themselves; and was surprised at how the author had inserted himself into the narrative. It was awkwardly written but I gave it a “Pick” anyway. There were a lot of little nuggets of information that I found interesting, like “Stendhal‘s Syndrome.” I actually experienced that last week when I was viewing the Turners at The Met! 6y
43 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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Pickpick

(Right): provides good info (including a brief bio of the museum founder) and theories on the Gardner heist. That happened 27 years ago, and the 13 works stolen still have yet to be recovered. We visited the museum a couple months ago and seeing the empty frames was goosebump-inducing.
(Left): my old college textbook from 1983 — the cover features one of the pieces stolen: The Concert by Vermeer 😢.

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ValerieAndBooks
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Starting new fiction and non-fiction reads tonight!

JanJan It‘s so heartbreaking and beautiful! 6y
Minimalgrl A Little Life.... amazing but wow broke me down 6y
Pamwurtzler Loved The Gardner Heist - I think that robbery is so interesting & I‘d love to see the museum. 6y
See All 10 Comments
cathysaid A Little Life is amazing and truly heartbreaking 💔 but oh so worth it. 6y
MicheleinPhilly Get the tissues ready!!! 😭😭😭 6y
cathysaid @AmyG Right? I still think about Jude. 6y
AmyG @cathysaid Me too. That book still stays with me. 6y
emilyhaldi Get ready bc A Little Life is about to take over your LIFE 6y
mrozzz Ohhhh this cover of A Little Life is 👌🏻 6y
107 likes3 stack adds10 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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In Boston for the day. Visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. On March 18, 1990, thieves managed to steal 13 pieces of art (~500M worth total). This crime remains unsolved -- and the frames of the stolen artwork are still where they were then. What happened to this Rembrandt and all the others? This book on my TBR list, but interestingly the museum shop sells nothing about this heist.

Megabooks Idk about TBR, but I find this robbery fascinating. 7y
ferskner I love that they keep the frames up. 7y
BookBabe Yes! There's an awesome book about this that I read! 7y
See All 14 Comments
BookBabe It's fiction, and it's fabulous! 7y
merelybookish Funny! This just came up in a book I was reading when they visit the Gardner museum. 7y
MicheleinPhilly Agree with @BookBabe! I loved The Art Forger! 7y
Librarybelle I also agree with @BookBabe and @MicheleinPhilly ...The Art Forger is so good! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Booksandcooks I find it fascinating too. What was the motive?! Those would be recognized on the open market and if someone got it via black market they can never show it without risk. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @ferskner I agree. It really makes an impact that way. 27 years so far 😱! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @BookBabe @MicheleinPhilly @Librarybelle @DivineDiana yes The Art Forger is good! When I read it a few years ago it was before my oldest started college in Boston. I should reread to see if I can pick up the local references! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @merelybookish cool! Did you like the book you are referring to? 7y
merelybookish @ValerieAndBooks Mostly. A good story but the writing wasn't always great. 7y
tpixie I was just in Boston and missed this museum. There just was t time. It‘s an incredible story. I hope to return to Boston and visit. I love they kept the frames! 6y
97 likes4 stack adds14 comments
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Hobbinol
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Well, well, well... An independent bookshop has opened in Winston-Salem. The young merchant has started very small-- a wall of barely used books and a few curated tables of new publications. So of course we had to go support him! I'm really pleased to get the book about the big art heist at Boston's Gardner Museum. A local woman said her then-husband was part of that heist. She claims to have been interviewed by the FBI and everything.😮

LeahBergen How exciting for you! And I've always wanted to know more about that heist. 7y
merelybookish Fun! And scoopy! 7y
CherylDeFranceschi Oooo. Love the Guggenheim book! 7y
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DivineDiana So glad you did! 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Whereabouts is it? 7y
Hobbinol It was such a crazy heist taking anything from a flag pole's finial to a priceless Vermeer. If I think about how many books I'm excited to read, I feel quite dizzy from it; especially since my TBR priorities can be restructured by something as random as the weather! 7y
Hobbinol @CherylDeFranceschi Seeing any exhibit at the Guggenheim is an experience. I love spiraling my way into art. 7y
Hobbinol @TobeyTheScavengerMonk It's Brightleaf Books, "Specializing in literary fiction and scholarly titles". The little store is just around the corner from Mast General Store downtown: 227 W 5th St. Although his inventory is small, I give him high marks for staying high minded and for carrying books by small local presses. And another independent bookshop will open on a larger scale (also downtown)--Bookmarks! They will have a lot of signed books. 7y
Hobbinol @merelybookish & @DivineDiana Thanks so much! I've been so jealous of most Litsiers and their bookshops that I couldn't wait to go shopping! 7y
saresmoore How exciting! And I think my TBR is affected by the weather, too. Or possibly moon phases. 7y
ValerieAndBooks Nice haul! What is Unpacking my Library about? 7y
Hobbinol @ValerieAndBooks It has a very simple format with brief interviews with writers, cover shots of their favorite books and then great shelfies from their bookcases. Mr. Book listed the writers in his post about the book so I won't duplicate it. 7y
Hobbinol @saresmoore So glad I'm not the only one! 😊 7y
Suet624 Wait… Do you live in Winston-Salem? 7y
Hobbinol Yes! I do! Have you been here? 7y
Louise Love to see fellow MA Littens here! I'm a couple of hours west of you, near Amherst. 🤓 7y
60 likes17 comments
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Dogearedcopy
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When in Boston... Head to the Harvard Book Store! The last time I was there, I picked up 'The Gardner Heist' and then went to check out the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which in its stripped condition is not only a testament to the theft, but a statement of Art in and of itself. The author of the book explores this still-unsolved case... #getindie

Reading_E I love this place! I could spend hours and hours there! 8y
Laalaleighh My absolute favorite bookstore. 8y
ValerieAndBooks I've been there ❤️ and have their cup! My older son attends Berklee College of Music. I still need to see this museum-- adding book to my stack! 8y
MrBook You're a traveling gal! 😁👏🏻👍🏻 8y
46 likes6 stack adds4 comments