Next year will mark the 10 year anniversary of the release of A Fool and His Monet–the first title in my Serena Jones Mysteries about my plucky FBI Art Crime Team agent and her foray into the world of art crime.
Since solving the Gardner Museum Heist would represent the pinnacle of Serena’s career, its anniversary seems a fitting occasion to remember.
Did I mention there is a $10,000,000 reward
for information leading to the safe return of the art?
March 18, 2025, is the 35th anniversary of the infamous, and still unsolved, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist.
While St. Patrick’s Day revellers made their way home through the streets of Boston during the wee hours of Sunday, March 18th, 1990, two thieves disguised as police officers tricked their way into the museum by lying about a report of a disturbance in the courtyard.
Despite a strict rule to never open the door to anyone, the college student on door duty was allegedly persuaded to do just that by the authentic looking officers on the video monitor (not the actor pictured above 😉 ). The two men then quickly subdued him, and a second museum guard, before making off with 13 pieces of art valued at an estimated $500 million.
Among the stolen works were masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Degas, which made the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist the single largest property theft in the world.
Read more about the heist and view photographs of the pieces stolen and take a virtual tour of the museum here: https://www.gardnermuseum.org/organization/theft
The heist left an indelible mark on the art world, prompting museums and galleries worldwide to tighten security measures. It also contributed to the eventual formation of the FBI Art Crime Team, a specialized unit dedicated to recovering stolen cultural property. Founded in 2004 by Robert K. Wittman, the team has recovered more than 15,000 stolen items, valued at over $800 million.
Notable Cases Investigated by the FBI and How They Inspired My Serena Jones Mysteries
- Boy Scout Jamboree Painting – A few months after 9/11, a Norman Rockwell painting depicting a Boy Scout Jamboree with the Twin Towers in the background was recovered. The return of such a poignant piece, at that time, resonated deeply with the nation. This sense of restoring to people the lost art and antiquities that have shaped their cultural history, inspired my characterization of FBI art crime agent Serena Jones in A Fool and His Monet, and the books that followed.
- Exposing Art Fraud – Since its inception, the FBI Art Crime Team has exposed numerous cases of art fraud of the variety Serena Jones uncovers in Another Day Another Dali. But according to the memoirs of the team’s founder, Robert K. Wittman, it was an earlier watershed case that put fraudsters on notice that the FBI was watching. That was the shocking exposure of how Pritchard and Juno ripped off viewers of the Antiques Roadshow. Sadly, while the FBI succeeded in securing convictions of the two men, the victims of their scams weren’t able to recover the valuable pieces for which they were grossly underpaid.
- The Recovery of Stolen Artifacts from Iraq – Between the looting of its National Museum in 2003 and ongoing looting at archeological sites, Iraq has lost a staggering number of historical artifacts. The newly established FBI Art Crime Team’s tireless efforts to recover and return these cultural treasures to Iraq resulted in several significant finds, although they estimate that upwards of 10,000 pieces are still missing. Nevertheless, since the FBI’s Art Crime Team’s establishment, members have orchestrated the return of numerous priceless and historically significant pieces to owners and countries around the globe. These efforts inspired the subject of Serena Jones’s work in Over Maya Dead Body.
In fact, the real-life exploits of the FBI Art Crime Team were a huge inspiration for my Serena Jones Mysteries.
If you’re looking for a fun read with a solid mystery and plenty of chuckles, you’ll love Serena’s adventures as she navigates the world of art crime, quirky relatives, and a few too many close calls.
And… for those who’ve been asking:
YES!!!! 😀
I’m currently working on the much-requested sequel. My characters are currently running amok in my head in Greece. Sadly I’m not in Greece with them. but c’est la vie. Stay tuned for more details!
Your Turn: What do you think really happened to the stolen Gardner masterpieces? Let’s chat in the comments!
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I think they went into someone’s private collection.
Hopefully well preserved!