Travis Simpkins: Dick Ellis

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Stolen (2005): Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist Documentary

Stolen

Documentary about the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

Directed by Rebecca Dreyfus, Stolen (2005) is a documentary that focuses on the March 18, 1990 heist at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum… during which two thieves, disguised as Boston police officers, gained access to the museum, tied-up the security guards and stole 13 valuable works of art including masterpieces by Vermeer and Rembrandt. The case remains unsolved 25 years later, and is the largest property theft in history, with the missing works valued at $500 Million. In addition to describing the robbery, the film focuses on the efforts of the late detective Harold Smith and others, whose obsession with finding the stolen masterworks is contagious. Being 10 years old, some parts of the film are outdated at this point, particularly in regard to James "Whitey" Bulger having had some involvement (not likely)… at the time of filming, Bulger was still a long-elusive fugitive and an easy target for speculation. Entertaining insights are offered by well-known figures in the Art Crime world, including Boston Herald reporter Tom Mashberg, thieves William Youngworth and Myles Connor, Scotland Yard's Dick Ellis and former-thief Paul "Turbo" Hendry. Various authors give their thoughts as well, such as Tracy Chevalier, Anthony Bailey, Douglass Shand-Tucci, Susan Vreeland and Katherine Weber. Of particular interest, are the poignant sentiments that come courtesy of a teary-eyed long-time Gardner Museum Gallery Attendant, Frank DiMaria. By no means a definitive source on the subject, the film does however provide an enjoyable 90-minute respite involving one of the most compelling mysteries of the art world.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Isabella Stewart Gardner: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

The Concert by Vermeer: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Frank DiMaria, Gallery Attendant: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Stolen Art: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Harold Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

$5 Million Reward: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Tom Mashberg: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald: "We've Seen It!": Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Anthony Bailey: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Frank DiMaria, Gallery Attendant: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Greg Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Katherine Weber: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Myles Connor: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Greg and Harold Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Eli Kirtz, former Gardner Museum Security Guard: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Isabella Stewart Gardner: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Dick Ellis: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Myles Connor: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Paul "Turbo" Hendry: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Tracy Chevalier: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Tom Mashberg: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

William Youngworth: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Frank DiMaria, Gallery Attendant: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Douglass Shand-Tucci: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Michael Sullivan: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

FBI Special Agent Charles Prouty: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Harold Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Harold Smith and Paul "Turbo" Hendry: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Paul "Turbo" Hendry: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

William Youngworth: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Tracy Chevalier: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

James "Whitey" Bulger: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Susan Vreeland: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

William Youngworth and Harold Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Ron Gollobin: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Paul "Turbo" Hendry: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Harold Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Frank DiMaria, Gallery Attendant: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

Harold Smith: Stolen. 2005 Documentary

"Stolen"- movie trailer

Friday, December 19, 2014

"The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece" by Edward Dolnick

The Rescue Artist, by Edward Dolnick

Harper Collins. 2005.

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

On February 12, 1994 two clumsy thieves used a ladder and broke into a second floor window at the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway. They easily made off with Edvard Munch's highly recognizable 1893 masterpiece, The Scream, then worth about $70 million. Less than three months later on May 7, 1994, Scotland Yard Detective Charles Hill, undercover and posing as a representative of the Getty Museum, recovered the stolen painting in good condition. Edward Dolnick's The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece (2005) tells the story of the events between the theft and the recovery and so much more. A masterwork of Art Crime reportage, the tome flows like a finely-crafted suspense novel. The main characters of the book are the artist Edvard Munch and the detective Charley Hill. Dolnick presents a bare-bones portrait of Charley Hill, a half American half British enigma, from his service in the Vietnam War to his burgeoning interest in art, from his days as a rough beat cop to his development and acting skill-set as an undercover detective. Hill's record of recovering stolen art was already established by the time The Scream was taken. Hill had successfully retrieved paintings (including a Vermeer) stolen by Irish gangster Martin Cahill from the frequently-targeted Russborough House. Hill's ability to deal with rough sorts proved integral in recovering The Scream, which consisted of a sting focused on two crooked Norwegian men named Ulving and Johnsen. The painting, it was later revealed, had actually been stolen by well known art thief Pal Enger and an accomplice. Fine attention to detail, including aspects of Munch's life and the creation of The Scream, are interspersed with sharp writing throughout the book… tying it all together with an expert and tuned result.