Latest / 3 Crimes That Are Still Unsolved / Ep 56 — The Empty Frames
Transcript
- HOST: The most valuable art theft in history began with two fake cops and ended with thirteen empty frames. [SFX: scary door creak] HOST: Boston, March 18th, 1990. At the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, two men in police uniforms told the night guards they were responding to a disturbance. Minutes later, the guards were handcuffed in the basement. The thieves spent eighty-one minutes inside, cutting out Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a Manet, and Degas sketches. Estimated value today? Over five hundred million dollars. The frames still hang empty, like ransom notes. No arrests. No recoveries. [AD_BREAK:1] HOST: Next up: Dublin Castle, 1907. The Irish Crown Jewels were supposed to be locked in a safe room under official guard. Instead, they vanished just days before King Edward the Seventh was due to visit. The stolen pieces included a jeweled star and badge packed with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. The investigation swirled around insiders, aristocrats, and scandal. But the jewels were never found. [SFX: confused murmurs] HOST: And then, the Van Gogh stolen in broad daylight. Cairo, 2010. Poppy Flowers disappeared from the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum. Alarms reportedly failed. Cameras reportedly didn’t work. Officials first announced the painting had been recovered at the airport. [SFX: surprise sting] HOST: Then they admitted it hadn’t. The Van Gogh is still gone. [AD_BREAK:2] HOST: Three institutions built to protect history. Three thefts where someone knew the weaknesses. The question isn’t just who took them. It’s who made sure they could disappear.