Submitted by the Bedford Historical Society
The arrest last month of a 79-year-old Connecticut convict with possible connections to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft has museum officials, the art history world and the FBI wondering whether this reputed mobster has clues to the whereabouts of the 13 artworks stolen 25 years ago, including Rembrandt’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633).
One of the people working with the FBI and chasing leads is the Gardner’s Director of Security, Anthony Amore, who will update Society members and guests about this new clue as guest speaker at the Bedford Historical Society’s Tuesday, May 26th Annual Meeting and Potluck Supper.
The event will begin at 6 pm with punch and appetizers in Upper Fellowship Hall of the First Church of Christ, Congregational. Following a potluck dinner, the Annual Meeting to elect Society officers and directors for the 2015-16 season will be held around 7:30, and be followed at 7:45 pm by Mr. Amore’s presentation.
The meeting is free and open to the public, although only members of the Historical Society may vote at the Annual Meeting. Anyone, Society member or not, wishing to attend the dinner should bring a main dish, salad or dessert for 6-8 people; those interested in just hearing Mr. Amore should arrive around 7:45 pm. Please contact the Historical Society’s office at 781-275-7276 for more information.
Mr. Amore, author of “Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists,” will describe the infamous Gardner theft of artworks worth $500 million, and also recount art heists around the world.
His professional career has been in the security field since his graduation from Harvard University. He worked first with the federal government, and later at Logan Airport after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
While at the Gardner, he began studying the history of the theft, which occurred in the early morning hours of March 18, 1990 when two thieves disguised as Boston police officers gained access to the museum, conned a guard on duty, overpowered two guards, and gained entrance to the museum’s galleries.
His interest in the Gardner theft led him to write his 2011 book, which describes thefts committed, in some cases, by “bumbling crooks.” One of the book’s colorful stories recounts the case of Myles Connor, a Massachusetts con man in trouble with the law in 1975. Told by a DA that he could help his cause by recovering a stolen Rembrandt, Connor stole one from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, hid it, and then delivered it to get his deal. He never admitted he was the thief until years later, when writing his autobiography.
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