For Release: March 5 , 2007
In 1990, in the early morning hours after St. Patrick's Day, thieves disguised as policemen gained access to Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner museum and successfully executed the largest art heist in modern history. Among the 13 priceless works stolen was Vermeer's The Concert , one of only 35 of the master's surviving works. To date, not a single work has been recovered."Stolen , " an Independent Lens program about this daring art heist, airs Tuesday, March 20 at 10/9 p.m. CT on KET2. Terrence Howard hosts.
"Stolen" is a full exploration of this unusual crime and the fascinating, disparate characters involved: from the 19th-century grande dame Isabella Gardner to 17th-century Dutch masters to a 21st-century terrorist organization with a penchant for stealing Vermeers. At the heart of the film is an unlikely hero, renowned art detective Harold Smith. "Stolen" follows Smith as he pursues the mystery of the stolen works. Despite his lifetime battle with skin cancer, the cunning and witty Smith has made this case his personal obsession, working with what hope remains. With Smith as a guide, "Stolen" journeys into the mysterious and surreal world of stolen art, and examines the many possibilities for where the art might be.
Interwoven with Smith's investigation are noted contemporary authors discussing the power of Vermeer's work, and collector Isabella Stewart Gardner's turn-of-the-century correspondence, read by Blythe Danner, with her advisor Bernard Berenson, read by Campbell Scott. These subplots give the film a larger context and help illuminate just what the world has lost.
Independent Lens "Stolen" is produced by Independent Television Service i n cooperation with Court TV . More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.