Here’s the Friday Afternoon Challenge for you, returning by popular demand: The Back Story, Part 2!

[CTyankee]

OK, you art detectives, here are MORE images with back stories (and some helpful hints). Your challenge is to figure out what they and their stories were...without Goggles or other tricks please...

1."I wish I could see that concert again..."


2."No, darling, I did this later in the day..."


3. "Enough for the daurade?"


4. "What in the world happened?"


5. "Why thank you, Nelson, it really helps!"


6. "You can't hang me. Here's why."

[1monster]

1. First one looks like a depiction of Jesus Walking on Water, but I'm not sure

just which one...

[CTyankee]

2. hmm...

[1monster]

3. Got it! Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt ...

[CTyankee]

4. And...the back story...???

[horseshoecrab]

7. #1 backstory

"Storm on the Sea of Galilee" by Rembrandt definitely has quite the backstory....

The painting was one of 13 stolen in the infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in Boston. Two names who've been mentioned in connection with the heist are James "Whitey" Bulger, recently captured long term member of the FBI's most wanted list, and Myles Connor, Boston area rock/ rockabilly musician and noted art thief. Myles has stated that he was not involved because "I would have taken the Titian." He says that he knows who did it though.


Nice to see you CTyankee!


horseshoecrab


edited to add full name of museum.

[CTyankee]

11. What was the reference in the hint to?

[horseshoecrab]

17. The Concert

The "concert" hint was in reference to Vermeer's "The Concert" which was stolen that night in 1990.


horseshoecrab

[CTyankee]

19. There you go...I knew it was in there in the story of the heist...

that's why the identity of the Rembrandt was so key to the Challenge!

I grieve the loss of "The Concert." I think it is a marvelous work by Vermeer (who sadly painted so few works for us to experience).

[horseshoecrab]

23. the concerts at the Gardner

Thanks CTyankee.

Was just checking to see if there happened to be a concert at the Gardner on that particular night, March 19, 1990. Apparently not though. I think the concerts were held exclusively on Sundays. So... just checkin' all the angles.


But in the end, this beautiful Vermeer painting is so incredibly lovely to look at. What a shame that it's gone. I think (I hope) that it will be returned someday.

[CTyankee]

24. I doubt that. There was a chance that it could be recovered after the theft but

the museum didn't have insurance! Ack! If they had offered a ransom it might have been recovered. But, all things considered (gangs and all), it probably just lingers (if at all) in some basement somewhere...

[horseshoecrab]

34. Just a reminder ...

There is still a large award offered.

From the Gardner museum website: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/resources/theft

"Reward and Conservation
The Gardner Museum continues to actively investigate any and all leads related to the theft. This ongoing investigation is conducted by the museum’s Director of Security in cooperation with the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office. The focus of the investigation today is on the return of the artworks. The museum continues to issue the call to the holders of the works to conserve them in recommended temperatures and humidity levels. The Gardner Museum is offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to the recovery of these works in good condition and, with the FBI and US Attorney, can ensure complete confidentiality."


The art is pictured in a PDF file after the above statement. Achingly beautiful works of genius.

[CTyankee]

36. According to the book I read on the theft, these works have been

sold off like "stocks" by the mob so that no one has full control over the majority of the whole thing. It would be very difficult to round up agreement on all of the "stockholders" to agree to a price that they could divide up among themselves. These are career criminals and mobsters, they only care about cash and profit. When the "ownership" of these works got diversified, like so many stocks in a portfolio, it became much more difficult to negotiate with one party, obviously.

This whole thing leads me to believe that recovery is close to impossible.

[Brickbat]

5. Matisse and Chagall, but I don't know the works OR the stories. Hmmmm...

[CTyankee]

6. Did the hints help...or just confuse?

[Brickbat]

8. Not necessarily confuse...but I'm surprised I can't put my finger on them...

[CTyankee]

9. And therein lies ... the BACK STORY!!!

[Brickbat]

22. The more I look at it, the more I'm convinced that the Chagall is not a Chagall.

And the Matisse not necessarily a Matisse. But I could be overthinking.

[CTyankee]

25. You might have something there...just keep looking...

[CTyankee]

29. You might want to pursue this a bit further with the Chagall...

[Generic Other]

10. Maybe you can't hang the last one because it is a forgery?

Han van Meegeren? Just a wild guess!

[CTyankee]

12. Hey...do you know the van Meergeren story?

[Generic Other]

21. I always wanted to be an art forger

My mom used to get so pissed when I wrote my own notes for school.

[CTyankee]

32. Oh, do I love that!

[CTyankee]

13. dupe delete

[pinboy3niner]

14. No wonder Judas looks like Marty Feldman :)

http://www.google.com/search?q=marty+feldman&hl=en&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4GZAG_enUS431US431&biw=1600&bih=656&site=webhp&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=iItqTrXXK8fmiALI0aGnDg&sqi=2&ved=0CDAQsAQ

[CTyankee]

15. It's really a mystery...this thing. BUT, what artist was van Meergen forgering?

[pinboy3niner]

16. Generic Other deserves first crack at this

Giving up the artist and the forgery clue should make the solution easy now.

[CTyankee]

18. I agree! It's a great yarn...and all true!!!

[Generic Other]

20. Is he in jail proving he can paint a vermeer?

I kind of feel a sense of kinship with this monumental failure who was actually pretty darn good!

[CTyankee]

26. Most people think his "vermeers" are ugly as hell.

He did that on purpose because he wanted to get back at the art "establishment" who rejected him as an artist. He decided to do these ugly paintings and pass them off as Vermeers in a "late stage" of his life. ACK!

[CTyankee]

30. He was a master a engineering this whole Vermeer scam.

He claimed it was a new "find." It's a long story but there are a couple of books about it now, icnluding one I read called "The Forger's Spell."

Because he said it was a "new" Vermeer people believe that it was a true one (perhaps out of a desire to have more Vermeers in the world since there were only 35. It was like the Emporers New Clothes, people really wanted to believe so they did!

He managed to pull a fast one on Hermann Goering and sell him one of his fakes for a substantial amount of money.

He was tried by a prosecutor in Amsterdam soon after the end of WW2 and to off because he painted one of his "Vermeers" under soldier's watch to prove he was the forger who perpetrated these works...other wise, the prosecutor would have wanted him to be hanged as a traitor to the country for selling its patrimony to the enemy...

[CTyankee]

27. On Number 5, think of how this masterpiece got into this country so easily.

It was a snap after Nelson was so helpful...

[CTyankee]

28. Ok, a major clue..."Thank you Payne-Aldrich"...

[horseshoecrab]

31. #5

#5 is Rapheal's "Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints."

Backstory: Nelson Aldrich was a Senator from Rhode Island when he co-wrote the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909. The act removed restrictive import duties on fine art coming into the country. (The Raphael was bought by JP Morgan.)


horseshoecrab
:-)

[CTyankee]

33. Now there you go, horseshoecrab! He put that provision in the Act specifically for

J.P. Morgan so that his Collection could be imported from England, where it had been kept. MOrgan of course was the chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and felt it was very important to get great art into this country. Import duties on his collection would have been excessively expensive. Sen. Aldrich kindly wrote this exception into his bill, expressively for the Morgan Collection, of which the Colonna Altarpiece is a major one.

I'm glad you took the clue on Aldrich...I was afraid nobody would know (how would they without more information?).

[CTyankee]

35. I am so sad that at this time that # 4 has not been guessed.

At this time, indeed...

[horseshoecrab]

38. #4

Sadly, #4 is lost artwork.

This was the "The World Trade Center Tapestry" a 20' x 35' wool and hemp tapestry by Joan Miro. This and other works of art were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001 in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23309&page=1


We lost so much that day.

[CTyankee]

37. Ok, what about #s 2, 3 and 4?

Some people are close on #2 (hint, hint).

Think hard on #3 (hmm, why is it on a wall like that?) and 4 (well, Sunday).

[Generic Other]

39. I googled fake Chagall and found a motherlode of them for sale on ebay

but no pink one!

Chagall's pink period! Guess he was fiddling on the roof earlier that day.
Sheesh. These are fun. But hard!

[CTyankee]

40. Answers and "back stories" will be posted Saturday.....