Unsolved Mysteries of the Art World - for kids!

In the mood for a little mystery? Want to try and solve the greatest art heist in American history? Let's talk about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist of 1990. This is an entertaining story for any kid over the age of 6 and there's even an interactive piece to go along with it!
Note: There are a few details that might cause anyone under the age of 6 a bit of anxiety- like people dressing up as police officers and then stealing art.

Check it out:

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, a pair of thieves disguised as Boston police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and roamed the Museum’s galleries, stealing thirteen works of art.

They gained entry into the Museum by posing as Boston police officers and stating that they were responding to a call. The guard on duty broke protocol and allowed them entry through the Museum’s security door...

Once inside, the thieves asked that the guard come around from behind the desk, claiming that they recognized him and that there was a warrant out for his arrest. The guard walked away from the desk and away from the only alarm button. The guard was told to summon the other guard on duty to the security desk, which he did. The thieves then handcuffed both guards and took them into the basement where they were secured to pipes and their hands, feet, and heads duct taped. The two guards were placed 40 yards away from each other in the basement.

The next morning, the security guard arriving to relieve the two night guards discovered that the Museum had been robbed and notified the police and director Anne Hawley.

-Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Now that you've heard the story, go to the Gardner Museum website with your child and take a tour with the Google Art Project. They have a very cool interactive aspect of the virtual tour, you can play "what's missing," and compare one gallery image to another. 

Here are some questions you can ask your child after you finish the tour

: What do you think made these pieces of art so important that the thieves stole them? (The museum had other pieces of art that were worth more than the pieces that were stolen)

: How much money would you offer as a reward for the return of these pieces? (The Napoleonic Finial aka the bird statue on top of the flag, has a reward of $100,000!)

: Where do you think they are hiding now?

: What piece did you like the most?

: What was different about some of the pieces that were stolen? (Some were paintings, some were drawings and some were sculptures.)

Here are a few points of interest you may want to share with your child as well

: The oldest piece stolen was the Gu or bronze Chinese beaker. When this beaker was made there were still Pharaohs ruling Egypt!

: Vermeer often painted a checker board floor in his paintings, and the light source is often coming from the same direction. Look at some other Vermeer paintings here and see if you can find the similarities. 

: Manet often painted regular, everyday people that he met on the streets of Paris. 

: Rembrandt painted many portraits, including a quite a few self portraits. Here is a self portrait of Rembrandt. And Here is the Gardner Museum's stolen Rembrandt Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee. Can you spot what's most likely the self portrait of Rembrandt in this painting?