The Largest Canadian Museum Heist in History

In the vast depths of Canadian history, unsolved mysteries and untold truths remain hidden amongst the chaos of current events and global affairs. One of these unsolved mysteries took place at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec, where three men robbed around two million dollars worth of paintings, artifacts, and jewelry. However, they only managed to get away with their newfound wealth after prying open a skylight and utilizing a collection of nylon ropes, latters, and their acute ingenuity. There could not simply be a more uncanny thief than this one, as one can imagine this exact scenario taking place in the DaVinci Code or Ocean’s Eight. This being said, grab your blanket and find a comfy spot on the couch as I unearth one of the most neglected events that permanently skewed the world of historical arts in Canada.

The crisp autumn fog cascades into the dead of night, gentilly illuminated by the yellow flickering of the downtown Montreal streetlights. It’s September 4th, 1972 at one in the morning. One of the three men present at the scene draws out his pick-equipped boots and meticulously stabs them into the trunk of a nearby tree, his dewy face developing buds of perspiration. The other two men watch patiently as he climbs, and when he reaches the roof of the museum, he lowers a ladder so the other two can join him. Since the skylight was under repair, a plastic sheet was covering the glass and interfering with the ability for the alarm to set off when breached. They simply cracked open the skylight and slid down a nylon rope.

A security guard obliviously saunters to the museum’s kitchen and begins to boil a kettle of water for a late night spot of tea. Rubbing his tired eyes, he makes his way back to his office when he is abruptly startled by three figures. Their tall athletic stature makes their stance in the center of a second floor gallery. The middle figure abruptly turns his head to the sound of the security officer shuffling by and instinctively procures a pump-action shotgun. The ear-splitting shot echoes through the galleries. The mug painfully shatters by the officer’s feet. Although the officers remained alive, they were forced into a nearby lecture hall and held captive.

While one figure kept an unflinching eye on the men, the remaining two dashed out of the hall and scoured as many valuable paintings as they possibly could. Among the most notable were; Landscape with Cottages by Rembrant van Rijn, Portrait of a Lady by François-André Vincent, La rêveuse á la fontaine by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, and Still Life with a Fish by Jan Davidsz de Heem. The most prominent artifact that was stolen was an antique gold watch that was previously owned by the wife of Montreal’s first mayor.

With their numerous irreplaceable, fragile, and undoubtedly delicate works, along with thirty eight other artifacts, they soon realized that they would not be able to assemble a structure of pulleys and other hardware that would allow them to exit through the skylight with their new belongings. Thus, the only obvious solution was to steal the security guards keys to the museum panel truck waiting patiently in the rear parking lot.

The case goes down in Canadian history as puzzling for a number of reasons. One of which is the thieves decision to leave behind half of their takings which they could have easily brought along with them including works of Rembrant and Picasso. Another point of speculation is the ease by which the thieves entered the building through the skylight. Surely, they would have had to have an inside staff member communicating with the thieves and contributing to their plan of attack to enter through the skylight. However, both of these points are skewed with the inadequate premeditation of their exiting the museum. If they were to have inside communications, they would have certainly been able to plan a better strategy of departure.

Join me again next week, as throughout the month of May I will be going in depth of more historical, unsolved art mysteries not only in the museums themselves, but the ominous unsolved questions present in the historical and symbolic significance of the works.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or writing opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact me at hana.chestermere@ gmail.com .

1. Wikipedia, 1972 Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Robbery, September 4th 2022, link.

2. Taylor C. Noakes, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Skylight Caper (1972 Montreal Art Heist), February 7th 2022, link.

3. Taylor C. Noakes, Cult MTL, The Greatest Art Heist in Canadian History Happened in Montreal 50 Years Ago Today, September 4th 2022, link.

Won’t You Be My Neighbour?

What grown man slowly walks into his home, sings a song, changes his sweater, feeds his goldfish, and plays with his make-believe trolley? This is the opening sequence of one of America’s most beloved children’s shows. Mr Rogers’ Neighbourhood ran for 31 seasons, and aired 895 episodes, making it one of the longest running television shows in history. What makes this all the more interesting is that Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood was anything but a slick and flashy show. Accessible conversations about kindness, feelings, and friendship set the tone of each episode. Through it all, Fred Rogers offered a simple presence that was consistent and attentive, slow moving and curious.

The phenomenon of Mr. Rogers has, in recent years, made something of a comeback. Books, documentaries, and even a film where actor Tom Hanks portrays Mr. Rogers, have all sparked our curiosity about this simple neighbour. In an era of flashy celebrities, millionaires, and success, why would this Presbyterian-Minister-turned-children’s-television-show-host hold such an iconic place in many of our imaginations? What could a neighbour in a cardigan sweater say to a fast-moving ambitious world?

Author John Lynch offers his perspective. He wrote, “Fred Rogers was a gentle, grace-filled, sacred, deeply intentional force for good on this planet. His very person was sincere, compassionate, wise and gentle. I’m not sure I fully understood or valued him until after he was gone. And now the world does not feel quite as safe, healthy or strong as when he was here.

He was easy to minimize in the highly branded, market share economy of competitive media. A falsely taught picture of masculinity has little room for him. But I imagine God deeply considers Mr. Rogers a powerful and wonderful expression of manhood, or simply what it is to be human with God’s life in you. He offered dignity, hope, and love. He gave a model for kids and adults to emulate in a broken, fragmented culture. If 450 or so Fred Roger types suddenly showed up on our planet, expressing love, respect, and trust in the dark, I think it would be actually palpable.”

Mr. Rogers reminds us that we can make a difference because we matter to those around us. Each street becomes a place, the very location, where goodness can thrive. Fred Rogers said, “We get so wrapped up in numbers in our society. The most important thing is that we are able to be oneto-one, you and I with each other at the moment. If we can be present to the moment with the person that we happen to be with, that’s what’s important.” I do believe that 450 Fred Rogers would change the world, but it would certainly be one-to-one, a connection at a time.

What I learn from Mr. Rogers is that being a unique character in my neighbourhood is the best way to go. I am allowed to be me, with all my quirky interests and passions. The world needs a few more Mr. Rogers, but my neighbourhood needs a Preston Pouteaux even more. I am welcome to be the beekeeping pastor, and you can be you. Together we can join in the kind, patient, and friendly work of caring together. It’s what Mr. Rogers would have done.

Vaishali Kumar

Co-Founder: KrishnaKul