Behind the Canvas: Anthony Amore Uncovers the Fascinating World of Art Heists at SCA’s Distinguished Speaker Series
On November 7th, South Coast Artists, Inc. proudly welcomed a sold-out crowd to our Third Annual Distinguished Speaker Series with an engaging presentation called “Stealing Rembrandts” by Anthony Amore, Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. He spoke about three of history’s most important art heists, all of which took place in Massachusetts, and involved works by Rembrandt. Our guests were captivated as Anthony pulled back the curtain on art theft, the multi-billion dollar per year illicit industry, and the world’s most significant heists that share one thing in common: the priceless works of Rembrandt. The great Dutch Master’s paintings are known for their value by everyone, from high school dropouts to museum curators. While Hollywood has portrayed the theft of high value paintings as the work of dashing, likeable thieves working to steal art for evil, reclusive geniuses, in fact that’s nothing like the reality of art theft. Instead, it’s much more interesting telling the true story of art crime from the conception of the crime to the recovery of the art.
Anthony Amore is a well-known art theft expert and investigator. Presently, he is Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and is involved with the ongoing efforts to recover thirteen works of art famously stolen from the museum on March 18, 1990. Additionally, Amore has authored multiple bestselling books, most recently The Rembrandt Heist, which was named one of the Ten Best History Books of 2025 by Smithsonian Magazine as well as The History Channel. Amore’s most famous investigation centers on the Gardner Museum heist and the hopeful recovery of the irreplaceable works, valued at an estimated $500 million. Amore is also known for co-authoring the true-crime bestseller Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists. His second book, The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds and Forgeries in the Art World was published in 2015 and was a New York Times Crime Bestseller. That was followed up by The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Heist, published in 2020, and others. In addition, the author/security expert provides analysis on issues related to security and terrorism for a number local and national news outlets, including the BBC, NBC, NPR, CNN, FOX, and others
Anthony Amore signing books after the event
This public program is part of SCA’s mission to deepen the region’s understanding and appreciation of arts and culture. As a nonprofit organization, SCA strives to present a wide variety of high-quality education programs for the community, removing barriers to participation in arts activities. Making the arts accessible to all enhances the overall quality of life in the South Coast.
Our thanks to the New Bedford Whaling Museum for hosting us in their Harborview Gallery and for Morton’s Fork Catering for the delicious treats.