Why the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum still has empty frames
The museum still displays empty frames after two men in police uniforms entered in 1990 and stole thirteen works of art. The theft remains unsolved.
The empty frames
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum still displays empty frames where stolen paintings belong. The frames remain empty because the works of art taken from the museum are still missing.
How the men got inside
In 1990, two men in police uniforms rang the night bell. They said they were checking a disturbance, and a guard let them in. The men got through the door wearing those uniforms.
The theft
Once inside, the intruders tied up the guard and his colleague. They then took thirteen works of art. The uniforms were how they had gotten through the door: the guard had let them in after they said they were checking a disturbance.
The theft remains unsolved. The stolen works are still missing, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum still displays the empty frames where the stolen paintings belong.
