If you live in or around the Boston area, and have NOT been to The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, you are missing out one of the most amazing cultural experiences around. Nestled in the Fenway, the ISG museum is an eclectic mix of priceless art works with a unique layout and a not-to-be-missed breathtaking courtyard at the center of the small building.

To top it all off (in case you are unaware), and to add to the mystique and wonder of the museum, the ISG is also the site of the greatest art heist in American history. In 1990, two men posing as Boston Police officers entered the museum, and with them (and possibly others) soon left nearly $300 million worth of art, all of which still remains missing and the case still unsolved.

Much has been written about the case, and many have speculated who is involved with the missing art, from local crooks to the IRA, but one $5 million reward and 17 years later, no one has come close to cracking this case.

For a closer look at the art heist, I have to recommend one of the best documentary films I have seen in some time, called Stolen. The film follows the unbelievable art detective Harold Smith on his quest to crack the case, and weaves an equally unbelievable tale of impossible leads and heartbreaking dead ends.

The film will be featured on March 20th by the PBS series Independent Lens, and I can’t recommend this enough. For an unbeatable experience, catch the film when it airs later this month, and then as soon as you can after, hit the museum for the perfect one-two punch. After getting the back story on the heist, you will enjoy this stunning museum even more than you would have otherwise.