Stolen: a Documentary by Rebecca Dreyfus

Join us as we screen Stolen, a documentary film by Rebecca Dreyfus.

In 1990, in the early morning hours after St. Patrick’s day, thieves
disguised as policemen gained access into Boston’s Isabella Stewart
Gardner museum and successfully executed the largest art heist in modern
history. Among the thirteen priceless works stolen was Vermeer's “The
Concert” one of only 35 of the masters surviving works. To date, not a
single work has been recovered.

Stolen is a full exploration of this unusual crime and the
fascinating, disparate characters involved: from the 19th century Grand
Dame Isabella Gardner to the 17th century Dutch masters to a 21st
century terrorist organization with a penchant for stealing Vermeers.

At the heart of the film, is the unlikely hero Harold Smith, the renowned art detective. Stolen
follows Mr. 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 Mr. Smith as a guide Stolen journeys into the mysterious and surreal world of stolen art and examines the many possibilities as to where the art might be.

Interwoven with Smith's investigation are noted contemporary authors
discussing the power of Vermeer's work, as well as 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.

Stolen brings the audience on a journey to understand not just a
crime but also the nature of beauty itself—its fragility and its power.

This event is a part of Somerville Reads, a project that promotes
literacy and community by encouraging people all over the City to read
and discuss books on the same theme.  The 2013 Somerville Reads
selection is The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro.  Copies of The Art Forger in a variety of formats are available at all Somerville Public Library Locations.