Results for “vermeer”

The Russborough House Robbery (1974)

In 1974 Rose Dugdale, an English heiress turned IRA militant, led a gang that stole nineteen paintings from the Beit collection to ransom for the release of republican prisoners. All were recovered within days.

Van Meegeren's Vermeer Forgeries

Han van Meegeren painted 'lost' Vermeers so convincing that they entered major collections — and one reached Hermann Göring. Accused of selling a national treasure to the enemy, he confessed to the greater crime of forgery.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist

In the early hours after St. Patrick's Day 1990, two men dressed as police officers talked their way into the Gardner Museum and left with thirteen works of art. It remains the largest unsolved property theft in history. With a current value of $1 Billion.

The Russborough House Robbery (1986)

In 1986 the Dublin crime boss Martin Cahill — 'The General' — led a raid on Russborough House, taking eighteen works including a Vermeer and a Goya. They were recovered piecemeal over years.

Han van Meegeren

The most celebrated forger of the twentieth century, van Meegeren deceived critics and collectors with 'newly discovered' Vermeers. When one of his forgeries was traced to Hermann Göring, he was charged with collaboration — and confessed to forgery to save himself from a treason charge, painting a Vermeer in front of the court to prove his skill.

The Concert

One of only around thirty-four surviving Vermeers and among the most valuable stolen objects in the world. Taken from the Gardner in 1990, its whereabouts remain unknown.

The Guitar Player

A rare Vermeer at Kenwood House, famously stolen by the IRA in 1974 and recovered — and long a target of theft plots. Now closely guarded.

Three Decades On, the Gardner Reward Still Stands at $10 Million

The museum reaffirms its offer as investigators mark another anniversary of the unsolved 1990 heist.

So You Stole a Masterpiece. Now What?

Glue, Soup, and Vermeer

One activist glued his head to the protective glass of Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' while another poured tomato soup over him.