Canvassing the Scene

Today marks the anniversary of one of the most infamous art heists in history, when two men dressed as police officers made off with a number of valuable paintings—including several Rembrandts and Vermeer’s The Concert—from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. The paintings have yet to be recovered, joining a long list of pilfered masterpieces that remain at large, including Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man, Vincent van Gogh’s Poppy Flowers, and Lucian Freud’s Francis Bacon.
Stealing Beauty: 11 Notable Art Thefts
© Everett-Art/Shutterstock.com
Is This the Most Stolen Work of Art in History?
© Paul M.R. Maeyaert—Scala/Art Resource, New York

Grudge-Match Election

Today is the birthday of Grover Cleveland, the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms—a feat that Donald Trump hopes to emulate against Pres. Joe Biden this fall. Cleveland won his first term in 1884, but lost his reelection bid to Benjamin Harrison. Four years later, Cleveland faced Harrison again and this time he won. It was one of a handful of U.S. presidential rematches, including the following.

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