How did these mysterious thieves manage to commit one of the most notorious acts of all time?
Who are these masterminds?
Where are the stolen works of art today?
"Vermeer's Concert" is considered the most valuable painting in the world, but many paintings of greater value were left behind. This led to speculation that the criminals behind the theft were not experts, but laymen in the art world, and pointed the finger at one of America's most notorious organized crime syndicates, La Cosa Nostra - or, in more common terminology, the Mafia.
The robbery took place in the early morning hours. According to reports from the two guards who were on duty that day, they saw two policemen, who were actually the criminals in disguise.
The "cops" claimed they were responding to a distress call in the area, so the guards thought it was normal for them to be hanging around the museum.
The two security guards were then handcuffed and left tied up in the basement. 81 minutes later, the thieves succeeded in their mission to steal 13 works of art.
The FBI responded immediately, certain that the stolen artworks would soon leave the state of Massachusetts, time was of the essence.
There was a frustrating lack of evidence at the scene, and the FBI had little to go on.
The robbers committed a "clean" robbery and left behind no DNA or fingerprints for police to analyze.
Security guard Rick Abath was questioned because of his suspicious behavior the night of the robbery, but they could not charge him with anything.
Why did he open and close the side door of the museum while on patrol?
Was it a signal for the thieves to have a clear path?
Motion detectors reported no movement in the Blue Room at the time of the theft, where Manet's "Chez Tortoni" was stolen.
A security consultant was called in to analyze the motion detection equipment and found that everything was functioning normally.
Experts who examined the thieves' selection of artworks were left puzzled, as they stole a combination of artworks of different values and overlooked other valuable works by masters such as Michelangelo and Raphael. The thieves never made it through the third floor where the most valuable painting, Titian's The Rape of Europa or the Scorned Feminine (1560-1562), was hanging.
Was this an intentional tactic?
The FBI focused on one possible suspect: Whitey Bulger, head of Boston's notorious Winter Hill Gang, one of the city's most powerful organized crime families. But the evidence was not strong enough. Everything was circumstantial at best.
In 1994, Anne Hawley, director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, received an anonymous letter. The author of the letter claimed not to know the identity of the thieves, but knew the thieves wished to negotiate the return of the stolen artwork, which was safe in a climate controlled environment. The terms of the return were simple. The thieves wanted full immunity, as well as $2.6 million to be paid into an offshore account, with the transaction taking place at the time of the art's return. If the museum agreed to the terms, it was to print a coded message in the Boston Globe. The letter seemed legitimate. The author had included information that only the authorities and the museum knew. Hawley contacted the FBI, and on May 1, a coded message was printed in the Globe.
Hawley received a second letter a few days later, but it seemed 'author got cold feet, and the museum director never heard from the enigmatic writer.
Years pass but the FBI is still at a dead end
In 2021, one of the last suspects of the heist Robert Gentile known as "Bobby the cook", linked to the local mafia dies.
The paintings have still not been found, and the case is still open. Perhaps it all comes down to a lack of concrete evidence. Abath's behavior on that fateful night could indicate involvement, however small, and the Merlino gang and its known associates were so active that it's hard to believe in coincidence. While no theory is directly stated here, readers are urged to contact the FBI if they have information relevant to the recovery of the stolen art.
Because the statute of limitations expired in 1995, prosecutors say that anyone who voluntarily returns the stolen art and who participated in the 1990 art theft will not be prosecuted
The case of the 13 missing artworks continues to be a sensational investigation for many art theft theorists. 

Elodie Couturier, Expertisez.com

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