Boston museum to renovate Dutch Room linked to art heist

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is set to undergo a significant renovation of its Dutch Room, which has been linked to one of the largest art heists in history. This renovation will take over two years and aims to restore various elements of the gallery, including paintings, frames, sculptures, furniture, and the ceiling. The museum has stated that the room will remain open during the restoration, allowing visitors to observe conservators at work. This unique opportunity will include the reupholstering of walls, refinishing of floor tiles, and cleaning of the 16th-century painted wood ceiling. The museum's decision to renovate comes after years of the room displaying empty frames where six notable works, including two Rembrandt paintings, were stolen. The frames have remained empty since the heist, which occurred 34 years ago, and the museum hopes to restore the room closer to Isabella Stewart Gardner's original vision. The museum is also committed to sharing updates and insights about the restoration process through its website and social media. Despite the passage of time, the museum continues to seek the return of the stolen artworks, offering a $10 million reward for information leading to their recovery. The heist involved thieves disguised as police officers who managed to deceive the security guards on duty, resulting in the theft of valuable pieces of art. The investigation remains open, with no arrests made to date. The museum's director of security remains hopeful about recovering the stolen art, emphasizing the importance of the empty frames as a reminder of the loss. The renovation of the Dutch Room is not only a restoration of physical space but also a step towards healing the museum's history and honoring the legacy of its founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner.