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Chasing the Storm

Anthony Amore鈥檚 Quest for the Missing Gardner Museum Masterpieces

Rembrandt鈥檚 鈥淐hrist in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee鈥� is one of 13 works of art stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the largest art heist in U.S. history.

Thirty-five years ago, two thieves impersonating Boston police entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole half-a-billion-dollars鈥� worth of art. Anthony Amore 鈥�89 has spent 20 years searching for the art, and he鈥檚 more determined than ever to find it.

By Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

Some things you might not know about stealing masterpieces:

• The perpetrators aren鈥檛 Thomas Crown types rappelling from ceilings and diving under infrared rays with the dexterity of ballet dancers.
• Priceless art theft is more likely to happen during the day because museums are alarmed at night, making stealing infinitely more difficult.
• Scotland Yard, Interpol, and the FBI will be called, of course, but stolen art generally stays local鈥攕tashed on, say, a pig farm or under a friend鈥檚 bed.
• Eighty percent of art heists are inside jobs.
• Selling stolen art is hard. Buying it is a criminal act, which eliminates most of the demand for multimillion-dollar artwork. So, in a real sense, 鈥減riceless鈥� stolen art is worthless.

These are some of the lessons that come from spending an afternoon with Anthony Amore 鈥�89, director of security and chief investigator of Boston鈥檚 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the largest art heist in history. Amore has spent the last 20 years searching for 13 works stolen from the Gardner, pieces by artists so legendary we need only know their last names: Degas, Manet, Rembrandt, Vermeer. Today, the 13 pieces are valued at between $500 million and $1 billion. The Vermeer alone has an estimated value of $250 million.

There鈥檚 a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the paintings. And though the FBI announced more than a decade ago (2013) that they knew who stole the artwork, the perpetrators have not been named, nor has the artwork been recovered. In 2015, the bureau announced that the thieves were dead, but still did not identify them. The FBI, the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office, and, of course, Amore, are still seeking leads as to the whereabouts of the art.

Anthony Amore 鈥�89, director of security and chief investigator at the Gardner Museum. Behind Amore is a portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner painted by John Singer Sargent in 1888; the portrait is on display in the museum鈥檚 Gothic Room.

The crime:

At about an hour after midnight on March 18, 1990, two men posing as Boston police entered Boston鈥檚 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, bound and gagged its two college-aged security guards, and stole 13 pieces of art. Of the 13 works, the piece of greatest notoriety is 鈥淐hrist in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee鈥� (1633), Rembrandt鈥檚 only seascape.

Amore has a particular affinity for that painting.

鈥溾�楾he Storm on the Sea of Galilee鈥� is a story about faith, and I think it鈥檚 a perfect allegory for my work,鈥� says Amore, a devout Catholic. 鈥淚 have to have faith that I can recover these paintings. If I lose faith that I could do it, I should leave the job.

鈥淵ou have to operate in the realm of hope.鈥�

Vermeer鈥檚 鈥淭he Concert鈥� and Rembrandt鈥檚 鈥淎 Lady and Gentleman in Black鈥� are among the works stolen from the Gardner Museum collection in 1990.

Amore is arguably the world鈥檚 foremost expert on art theft. He came to the Gardner with an impressive r茅sum茅 in federal law enforcement. After 溏心vlog免费B站, he became an inspector and port intelligence officer for the U.S. Department of Justice鈥檚 Immigration and Naturalization Service and then took a position with the Federal Aviation Administration鈥檚 security division, assigned to five New England-area airports, including Boston Logan International Airport. After earning a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard University鈥檚 John F. Kennedy School of Government, he went into security, consulting for a time, but 9/11 spurred Amore to return to government work. In 2001, he became assistant federal security director for screening and regulatory inspections at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, serving in that role for four years.

In 2005, Amore became director of security and chief investigator at the Gardner.

In addition to his work for the museum, Amore has written national bestsellers about art heists: Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists (with Tom Mashberg), The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World, and The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist. Amore co-teaches a graduate class, Art Crime: Investigations and Implications, in the museum studies program at Harvard University, and he is also a popular guest lecturer in 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Forensic Science Seminar Series.

In November 2025, Simon & Schuster will release Amore鈥檚 fourth book: The Rembrandt Heist: The Story of a Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic Friendship, which chronicles the life of one of the world鈥檚 most notorious art thieves, Myles J. Connor Jr., one of Amore鈥檚 close friends.

Yes, you read that right. Amore鈥檚 decades-long hunt for the stolen artwork has earned him the respect of Boston鈥檚 criminal element, in addition to law enforcement. Major broadcasting outlets, such as the BBC, NBC, CNN, and NPR, also seek his expertise on security and terrorism issues. Journalist and friend Kelly Horan, deputy editor of the Ideas section of The Boston Globe, calls him a 鈥渙ne-man walking brain trust.鈥�

鈥�Anthony has a natural self-confidence. He commands attention. And you need to have that because you鈥檙e dealing with expert con men.鈥�

颅鈥擪elly Horan, deputy editor, The Boston Globe

鈥淗e is our Sherlock and Watson rolled into one,鈥� says Horan. Amore is featured prominently in Last Seen, a 10-episode podcast produced by Horan that premiered in 2018 on WBUR, a Boston NPR station.

鈥淎nthony鈥檚 won the trust of such an array of people. To do what Anthony does, you cannot be closed-minded. You cannot be arrogant. You cannot look down on anybody,鈥� Horan says.

鈥淣or can you tremble in the presence of anybody,鈥� Horan adds. 鈥淎nthony has a natural self-confidence. He commands attention. And you need to have that because you鈥檙e dealing with expert con men.

鈥淭his is a tale of two cities: You鈥檝e got the world of high art and the world of crime, and you have to be able to move between those two worlds and be respected. Be trusted.

鈥淎nd Anthony Amore is,鈥� adds Horan.

You Have to Be Willing to Speak to the Devil

Located at 25 Evans Way in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a palatial building with Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Roman, and Romanesque features. It houses a multibillion-dollar collection of more than 2,500 items, including paintings, tapestries, sculptures, furniture, rare books, and ceramics.

Gardner was an American heiress and art collector who, after her father died in 1891, used much of her $2.75 million inheritance (about $78 million today) to build her world-class art collection鈥攁nd an equally stunning repository for it. Dubbed 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Most Fascinating Widow鈥� by The New York Journal and Advertiser, Gardner ran with America鈥檚 artistic elite. Artist John Singer Sargent and author Henry James were her close friends. And novelist Edith Wharton attended the New Year鈥檚 Day opening of Gardner鈥檚 museum in 1903, though she called the champagne and donuts served 鈥渇it for a provincial French train station,鈥� according to the 2022 book Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Life.

Gardner鈥檚 will stipulates that everything in the palace remains where it is, which is why some of the most dramatic sights in the museum are the empty gold gilt frames in the museum鈥檚 Dutch Room, frames that formerly held Rembrandt鈥檚 鈥淐hrist in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee鈥� and 鈥淎 Lady and Gentleman in Black,鈥� and Vermeer鈥檚 鈥淭he Concert.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 like being a homicide detective and walking by a chalk outline every day for 20 years,鈥� says Amore.

In his investigative work, Amore has interviewed thousands of people, including hundreds of criminals. They don鈥檛 scare him. There is truth to the saying that criminals have a code, Amore says.

鈥淚 grew up in Providence, amongst that sort of element. Both of my brothers served time in prison. As a child, I would be on Federal Street sitting on the stoop with my grandmother, and Raymond Patriarca would walk by and tip his hat to her. She could sit outside as late as she wanted,鈥� Amore says, implying that she was protected.

That鈥檚 Raymond Patriarca Sr., head of the New England Mafia from 1954 until his death in 1984.

Amore鈥檚 not boasting or being dramatic. He talks about the Mafia the way a person might talk about the weather.

鈥湵踱�檓 not saying they were good guys, but this was in a time of 鈥楽tay out of their way and you鈥檙e fine,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been afraid of people, even the worst bad guys.

鈥淲hen I first started investigating, I had this mentor, a retired Scotland Yard investigator, and one of the first lessons he taught me was that you have to be willing to speak to the devil,鈥� Amore says. 鈥淎nd I go out looking for devils to speak to.鈥�

鈥�I have to have faith that I can recover these paintings.鈥�

颅鈥擜nthony Amore 鈥�89

Amore鈥檚 mentor was legendary Scotland Yard detective Jurek 鈥淩ocky鈥� Rokoszynski, who recovered two Turner paintings for the Tate Gallery in London between 2000 and 2002. Amore has also worked closely with the FBI Boston over his 20-year tenure, specifically former FBI agent Geoffrey Kelly, who himself investigated the Gardner heist for 22 years until April 2024, when he retired.

In his last week on the job, Kelly repatriated artifacts back to Okinawa, Japan, that had been looted in World War II. It was one of those situations where a relative was cleaning out a home after the death of a family member and, lo and behold, discovered stolen art.

Priceless and Worthless

Kelly and Amore鈥檚 investigation took them up and down the East Coast, chasing down leads about where the art might have gone. Both men believe the art is still in America, not in Japan, Ireland, Germany, or the many other places people have posited. It is highly unusual for an FBI agent to work with a civilian, but the bureau made an exception for Amore, at Kelly鈥檚 urging.

鈥淚 realized just what an asset he was to this investigation; I had somebody who was a really qualified, able investigator. We became partners in the investigation,鈥� Kelly says.

鈥淲e received some credible information that a few pieces went up to Maine and a few pieces went down to Connecticut, and then maybe a few pieces might have gone to Philadelphia,鈥� Kelly says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had some very credible sightings of 鈥楾he Storm鈥� over the years, and the Manet, too, but also some of the pieces nobody鈥檚 ever mentioned seeing.

鈥淪o, my gut says that this collection was split up sometime after the theft,鈥� Kelly says. 鈥淚t would be wonderful to think all 13 pieces are in one big shipping container somewhere, but my guess is that they鈥檝e probably been scattered to the wind. But I think there鈥檚 a good possibility that some of these pieces have been hidden somewhere.鈥�

As in, somewhere close by. There鈥檚 precedent: Rembrandts stolen from Massachusetts museums have been stashed locally, sometimes in unusual places. One taken from the Worcester Art Museum in the spring of 1972 ended up at the Picillo Pig Farm in Coventry, R.I. And when Myles Connor stole Rembrandt鈥檚 鈥淵oung Girl in a Gold-Trimmed Cloak鈥� from Boston鈥檚 Museum of Fine Arts in 1975, he hid it under a friend鈥檚 mother-in-law鈥檚 bed. Connor successfully used the Rembrandt as a get-out-of-jail-free card for another crime.

Aside from Connor, there aren鈥檛 a lot of thieves routinely stealing priceless artwork, because you just can鈥檛 move masterpieces, Kelly says.

鈥淪maller thefts, more anonymous artwork, jewelry that can be melted down and its stones removed, yeah, that鈥檚 a huge trade,鈥� Kelly says. 鈥淏ut when you鈥檙e talking about famous pieces of art, recognizable pieces of art, pieces that are part of an artist鈥檚 catalog, you steal it once and you don鈥檛 come back and do it again because you realize it鈥檚 not worth anything,鈥� Kelly says. 鈥淚鈥檝e been asked so many times about the Gardner work; the term that鈥檚 bandied about is 鈥榩riceless,鈥� and that鈥檚 true.

鈥淏ut I also like to say they鈥檙e worthless, because the pieces only have monetary value to one organization in the world, and that鈥檚 the Gardner. So, from an aesthetic standpoint, they鈥檙e priceless; from a monetary standpoint, they鈥檙e worthless.鈥�

It Would Be Torture

The cost to the individuals at the center of this drama is great. In a 2015 interview with Boston Magazine, the Gardner鈥檚 former museum director, Anne Hawley, called the heist 鈥渁 devastation. It was like being knifed in the heart, really, for all of us鈥攁nd for the city.鈥�

鈥淵ou need to temper the passion that you have with the other things going on in your life, and it鈥檚 difficult to keep that at arm鈥檚 length,鈥� Kelly says. 鈥淢any times, over the years, the case has gotten too close, and it鈥檚 the same for Anthony. It鈥檚 difficult not to get a little obsessed with a case when you know it so well, when you鈥檙e so attached to it.鈥�

Amore recalls a conversation he had with Hawley in which he shared that he intended to meet with a notorious Boston criminal to discuss the Gardner Museum case. According to Amore, the conversation went like this:

Hawley: 鈥淎re you sure you want to do this meeting?鈥�
Amore: 鈥淎产蝉辞濒耻迟别濒测.鈥�
Hawley: 鈥淵our life is not worth these paintings.鈥�
Amore: 鈥淵es, it is. The paintings are supposed to live forever. They鈥檙e supposed to be there for my children and my grandchildren and everyone else鈥檚, too. They鈥檝e been around for 300 years and there are still things to be learned from them. So, yeah. It鈥檚 worth my life.鈥�

The thieves spent nearly 90 minutes in the Gardner Museum on the night of the heist. This is an unusually long time. As mentioned, most art thieves prefer the middle-of-the-day, smash-and-grab approach. Over the years, Amore has tried to recreate as closely as possible the events of the evening, including once having been in the museum at 1:24 a.m., the time of the theft. Amore鈥檚 walked in the footsteps of the two perpetrators and sat where the two young guards were held, restrained, in the basement.

鈥淚鈥檝e sat in the dark and pictured them walking,鈥� Amore says. 鈥淚鈥檝e pictured these guys moving around in their police uniforms. They weren鈥檛 rushing. They were comfortable here.鈥�

Anthony Amore 鈥�89 in the Gardner Museum鈥檚 iconic courtyard, located in the center of the museum and visible from most of the galleries.

They were also peculiar for what they didn鈥檛 take. Other paintings in the room were also valued in the tens of millions of dollars.

鈥淪o, they left behind a huge amount of money,鈥� Amore says. 鈥淩ight there, that tells you they鈥檙e not art connoisseurs.鈥�

When she was making the Last Seen podcast, Horan says it wasn鈥檛 unusual for Amore to reach out late at night with the name of a person she should talk to or something she should look into.

鈥淎nd I thought, 鈥楳y God, is he ever not working on this?鈥欌�� Horan says. 鈥淗ow many investigators are actually occupying the scene of the crime, actually living in the scene of the crime in the majority of their waking hours?

鈥淚 think it would be a torture to have to walk by those empty frames every single day,鈥� Horan adds. 鈥淔or me, it would be a torture.鈥�

In March, a filmmaker staged the recovery of a fake 鈥淐hrist in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee鈥� at a Brooklyn gallery to promote his upcoming film. The video went viral on TikTok and Instagram. Such antics are more than salt in the wound for Amore. He was inundated with emails, calls, and texts that took up the better part of a weekend to answer. Kelly had sympathy for his friend and contempt for the filmmaker.

鈥淭his is artwork, not a human being, but to a lot of people in this world, especially people at the museum, that artwork is special. There are people out there who really want to see this artwork recovered.鈥�

Isabella Stewart Gardner often visits Amore in his dreams鈥攏ot in a woo-woo way but in the way a thing that dominates your daily thoughts tends to creep into your subconscious. In his dreams, Gardner is consistent both in her message and in her general appearance. Amore shares a sepia-toned digital image of Gardner in a black feathered hat and a dark moir茅 silk bodice. She is looking across her shoulder at the camera, her face wearing an appraising expression just shy of judgment. Think of Almira Gulch, the Wicked Witch of the West鈥檚 counterpart in The Wizard of Oz. The way her face is set. It鈥檚 that kind of vibe.

鈥淢rs. Gardner asks me why I haven鈥檛 found the paintings yet,鈥� Amore says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 urging me, not in a chastising way, but urging me, saying, 鈥榊ou have to find these. When are you going to find these?鈥� I very clearly see her asking me about them.鈥�

In April, Amore interviewed Gardner鈥檚 biographer, Natalie Dykstra, at the Harvard Club of Boston. Dykstra wrote the 2024 national bestseller, Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner. Amore asked Dykstra what she thought Gardner might think of his 20-year quest to restore the stolen artwork.

Dykstra replied, 鈥淚t was said of Mrs. Gardner that she annihilated the thought and possibility of failure.鈥�

鈥淭alk about inspiring,鈥� Amore says.

This Is Command Central

The least impressive space in the Gardner Museum might be Amore鈥檚 office. The former bedroom of Gardner鈥檚 maid, the narrow, cramped space seems far too small for Amore鈥檚 6-foot-2 frame. Amore had a bigger office elsewhere in the museum, but he wanted to be closer to the art. The room holds a desk, a computer, a chair, a set of shelves, and not much else. Put two adults in the space and it’s claustrophobic.

Behind his computer screen, dominating the wall upon which it鈥檚 mounted, is a reprint of 鈥淐hrist in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee,鈥� maybe 2 feet from Amore鈥檚 face. Some days, hope doesn鈥檛 come easily for Amore. Some days, 鈥淭he Storm鈥� evokes feelings of failure.

The Roman Catholic Church ascribes certain characteristics to its saints. St. Peter is the patron saint of fishermen. St. Teresa of Avila is the patron saint of the sick.

Amore鈥檚 namesake, St. Anthony, is the patron saint of lost things.

鈥淚 did an interview with a podcaster yesterday, and it鈥檚 funny because these people who interview me will introduce me saying that 滨鈥檓 the guy looking for these paintings,鈥� Amore says, 鈥渁nd not five minutes later they鈥檒l say, 鈥楧o you think they鈥檒l ever find them?鈥欌��

鈥淲丑辞鈥檚 they?鈥� Amore asks.

鈥�滨鈥檓 gonna find them.鈥�

PHOTOS: SETH JACOBSON