True crime · Art theft · Unsolved

Was the Gardner heist
rehearsed a decade
before it happened?

On St. Patrick's Day, 1990, two thieves posing as police officers stole 13 masterworks from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — the largest art theft in history. This is the untold story of the practice run that may have made it possible.

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$500M+ stolen 13 masterworks missing Still unsolved First eyewitness account

The Practice Run by Frederick J. Fisher — book cover

Frederick J. Fisher
Former Director, The Hyde Collection

The Gardner Museum heist

The most valuable unsolved art theft in history

Two men posing as police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston at 1:24 AM on St. Patrick's Day, 1990. They bound the security guards and spent 81 minutes removing 13 works — including Vermeer's The Concert, Rembrandt's only seascape, and five Degas sketches. The empty frames still hang on the museum walls today. A $10 million reward remains unclaimed. The FBI claims the perpetrators are deceased but has never named them.

Vermeer — The Concert

Rembrandt — Storm on the Sea of Galilee

Rembrandt — A Lady and Gentleman in Black

Degas — 5 sketches

Manet — Chez Tortoni

Flinck — Landscape with an Obelisk

The Hyde Collection — the untold story

A nearly identical robbery, ten years earlier

In the spring of 1980, a young man posing as a Vanderbilt heir and freelance writer arrived in Glens Falls, New York. He spent two months ingratiating himself with the director of The Hyde Collection — a small but extraordinary art museum modeled after the Gardner in Boston. His attempted robbery, using two men posing as delivery workers, was thwarted. He was arrested. He was also named Brian McDevitt of Swampscott, Massachusetts. The author of this book was that museum director. He was there.

MethodDisguise + insider access

Target typeSmall endowment museum, rich collection

Sister museumHyde modeled directly after the Gardner

ResultFailed in 1980 — succeeded in 1990

Timeline of both crimes

Spring 1980

McDevitt arrives in Glens Falls

Posing as a Vanderbilt heir and freelance writer, Brian McDevitt spends two months cultivating trust with Frederick J. Fisher, director of The Hyde Collection — extracting security details, staff schedules, and layout information.

1980

The Hyde attempted robbery — foiled

Two men posing as delivery workers attempt to rob The Hyde Collection. They are thwarted. McDevitt is arrested and serves jail time in both New York State and Massachusetts. The museum escapes with its collection intact — but the blueprint has been drawn.

1982

FBI uncovers a Boston plot

The FBI discovers a separate plot by Boston criminals to rob the Gardner Museum. Security upgrades follow — but remain insufficient. No interior cameras are installed; the board considers the cost prohibitive.

Mar 18, 1990

The Gardner Museum heist — $500M stolen in 81 minutes

At 1:24 AM, two men posing as police officers are buzzed into the Gardner by a security guard. They bind both guards, disable the alarm, and spend 81 minutes removing 13 works. They are never caught. The empty frames remain hanging to this day.

Post-1990

McDevitt flees to Hollywood

Following the Gardner heist, McDevitt reinvents himself in Los Angeles as a screenwriter. When his criminal past surfaces on the West Coast, he flees to South America to avoid extradition. He dies there under circumstances that have never been fully explained.

Today

The case remains officially open

The FBI claims the perpetrators are deceased but has never publicly identified them. Some investigators raise the possibility that McDevitt is in witness protection. The Gardner's 13 empty frames still await their paintings. The $10 million reward goes unclaimed.

About the author

Frederick J. Fisher

Fisher served as the director of The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, New York during the critical period when Brian McDevitt arrived in the spring of 1980. He is the only living eyewitness to the planning and near-execution of the crime that may have served as the blueprint for the Gardner theft.

After McDevitt spent two months befriending him — posing as a wealthy Vanderbilt heir — Fisher recognized the deception only after the attempted robbery had been foiled. Decades later, when the parallels between the two crimes became undeniable, he wrote the account you hold in your hands.

This is not a theory. This is testimony.

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"He arrived as a gentleman. He left as a thief. And ten years later, I believe he came back — as the architect of the greatest art robbery in history." — Frederick J. Fisher

Was the Gardner heist rehearsed a decadebefore it happened?