The Woman Who Stole Vermeer
The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist
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3.6 • 8 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist.
In the world of crime, there exists an unusual commonality between those who steal art and those who repeatedly kill: they are almost exclusively male. But, as with all things, there is always an outlier—someone who bucks the trend, defying the reliable profiles and leaving investigators and researchers scratching their heads. In the history of major art heists, that outlier is Rose Dugdale.
Dugdale’s life is singularly notorious. Born into extreme wealth, she abandoned her life as an Oxford-trained PhD and heiress to join the cause of Irish Republicanism. While on the surface she appears to be the British version of Patricia Hearst, she is anything but.
Dugdale ran head-first towards the action, spearheading the first aerial terrorist attack in British history and pulling off the biggest art theft of her time. In 1974, she led a gang into the opulent Russborough House in Ireland and made off with millions in prized paintings, including works by Goya, Gainsborough, and Rubens, as well as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by the mysterious master Johannes Vermeer. Dugdale thus became—to this day—the only woman to pull off a major art heist. And as Anthony Amore explores in The Woman Who Stole Vermeer, it’s likely that this was not her only such heist.
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer is Rose Dugdale’s story, from her idyllic upbringing in Devonshire and her presentation to Elizabeth II as a debutante to her university years and her eventual radical lifestyle. Her life of crime and activism is at turns unbelievable and awe-inspiring, and sure to engross readers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Amore (The Art of the Con) charts in this engrossing account the transformation of Rose Dugdale from a privileged English debutante into a committed radical and fighter for the liberation of Northern Ireland from British rule. During Rose's childhood in Devon, her authoritarian mother demanded her compliance with social class expectations, but Rose's political beliefs shifted to the left at Oxford and led her to participate in revolutionary action. In 1974, she and three others pulled off one of the most spectacular art heists ever: they stormed the home of Conservative MP Alfred Beit, stealing 19 paintings in less than 10 minutes, one of them Vermeer's The Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid. Amore vividly describes how Rose was identified as the leader of the heist and the subsequent hunt for the perpetrators, as well as the circumstances of her capture and details of the trial, which she used as theater to advocate IRA ideas, though the group never recognized her as a member. Sentenced to nine years in prison, she was released in 1980. Thorough research is matched by prose that keeps the reader turning the pages. True crime and history buffs will revel in the saga of this truly fascinating woman.
Customer Reviews
Must read! Rose Dugdale: radical and art thief
This is the first examination of the only known woman to mastermind an art heist, Rose Dugdale. No matter if your interest is art, true crime, or biography, this is a fantastic read and you won’t want to put it down. The author, who is the Director of Security at the Gardner Museum in Boston and an expert in art theft, takes us through Dugdale’s beginnings—from debutante and Oxford student to her increasing radicalization in the 1970s—setting the stage for the main event: the 1974 robbery of the Russborough House in Ireland. The woman stole not just Vermeer, she stole 19 paintings after binding and gagging the owners, who were home at the time. And she did it in the name of the Irish Republican cause.
It is rare to read the biography of a woman who is remembered for her crimes. For that alone, this book is well worth picking up. Dugdale emerges as a fascinating and contradictory figure. The narrative is lively, well-written, and exhaustively researched. If anything, I wish it had been longer. I am giving this book to a number of friends this holiday season.