Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

On the wall of a chamber on the second floor of the Boston museum's Isabella Stewart Gardner, a sizable empty frame is conspicuously displayed. The emptiness serves as a stark reminder of the largest unsolved art theft in modern history, a theft involving 13 masterpieces valued at $500 million, including "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee," the only seascape by Rembrandt.

The wealthy philanthropist and supporter of the arts Isabella Stewart Gardner donated her priceless possessions to the museum. The five-story historic edifice is decorated with a variety of works from Roman antiquities to Renaissance artists like Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Botticelli, reflecting her ideal of appreciating art in all genres.

But, despite the magnificent artifacts on show, the museum is also well-known for what's missing. After tying up a pair of clueless security guards, two criminals posing as police officers were able to pull off the astounding caper in the early morning hours of March 18, 1990. The locations of the objects are the subject of numerous theories, and Netflix just broadcast a four-part documentary about the crime called This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist.

Rating: 4.7/5.0
Location: 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115, United States
Phone: +16175661401
Website: https://www.gardnermuseum.org/