Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Room Ransacked During Infamous Robbery Gets Facelift

More than 30 years ago, thieves carried out the largest-ever property heist at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Of the 13 works stolen in the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, six were taken from the second-floor Dutch Room, including paintings by Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt; their empty frames still hang on the gallery walls, awaiting the return of the missing works of art.

Now, the Dutch Room is undergoing a much-needed makeover that will completely renovate the space from floor to ceiling over the next two and a half years, including artwork, furniture and architectural elements. The work is scheduled for completion in early 2027. It is the museum’s last major renovation, following the remodeling of the Titian Room on the third floor.

Environmental Affairs Director Holly Salmon said Hypoallergenic that the $1.25 million project is supported by a donation from an anonymous donor.

“For most of the project, we’ll be taking pieces off display and back to our lab so conservators can process them,” Salmon added, explaining that the work will need to be periodically removed because the gallery will remain open during the renovation. In their absence, staff will provide visitors with an informational text explaining the repairs being made behind the scenes.

“Visitors will be able to access a lot of information at any time over the next two and a half years,” Salmon said, noting that some of the artwork has already been reprocessed and returned to its original display, while two empty frames, several chairs, a few candlesticks and two sculptures are currently out of sight in the conservation lab.

The room’s elaborately painted wooden ceiling is the largest object in the collection to be treated as part of the project. Dating back to 1500, it consists of 15 panels that will need to be separated into individual pieces during the conservation process, Salmon said. An even longer undertaking will be to recreate the textiles that adorned the gallery walls, drawing on historic photographs and fragments of original silk upholstery stored in storage.

The most time-consuming task, however, will probably be the final stage of the project, i.e. dismantling the room. “to the foundations.” This phase, which will take place in the second half of 2026, will involve stripping the walls and flooring before installing new upholstery and a restored collection. During this time, guests will be able to move around the room and familiarize themselves with the renovation work.

“We found that visitors really engage with these processes, even if the collection is not visible for a short period of time,” Salmon said.

Unlike the renovation of the Titian Room, which was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Salmon added that she does not anticipate any delays with this project.

In addition to the comprehensive restoration work, the renovation will also include further research into the museum’s collections and the scientific analysis of several paintings from the Dutch Room, including one of Rembrandt’s earliest self-portraits.