Is it true that a group of journalists stole the Empire State Building for only one day? How did police catch the thief who stole one of Norway’s most famous paintings? Has anyone found a Stradivarius? Stradivarius was one of the most famous concert violinists of the 20th century.
Everyone knows that famous art and historical artifacts are some of the most valuable works, but what’s the real reason for stealing the most expensive items on earth? Below, you’ll learn about some of the world’s most expensive items and the dangerous operations involved in stealing them.
“The Concert” was a painting done by famous artist, Johannes Vermeer between the years 1663 and 1666 and was placed in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA. The painting pictures two women and a man in a parlor, focusing on music.
In the early morning hours following Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in 1990, two thieves disguised as policemen requested to enter the museum to investigate a disturbance. The guards allowed the fake policemen to enter and once inside, the thieves handcuffed and tied up the guards in the basement. Over the course of 81 minutes, the thieves stole 13 pieces of art and left the guards handcuffed in the basement. Of the 13 pieces stolen, “The Concert” was the most valuable and is worth an estimated $200 million. The whereabouts of the art is still unknown and remains one of the greatest mysteries in the art world today.