When the Catholic press commissioned Ben Stahl to paint fourteen scenes depicting Christ’s crucifixion for a special papal edition of the Bible in 1954, he had no idea his art would be so appreciated that he would be asked to duplicate it on a grander scale. The artist redid his paintings into portraits and added a fifteenth work depicting the resurrection of Christ. To house his prized paintings, he opened the Museum of the Cross in his hometown of Sarasota, Florida, in 1966.

Ben Stahl never dreamed the notoriety his Stations of the Cross would bring. In his wildest nightmares, he never fathomed someone stealing his cherished works, let alone wanting to pilfer depictions of images so sacred.

Three years after opening his museum, someone, likely multiple people, absconded with Ben Stahl’s prized artwork. Fifty-five years later, despite a reward for the recovery of the artwork still being offered by his children, few leads have surfaced to the paintings’ whereabouts.

Ben Stahl

The Museum of the Cross Director found the facility’s galleries ransacked on the morning of April 17, 1969. The empty frames that housed Ben Stahl’s fifteen sacred works were all that remained. The paintings were only partially insured because of the exorbitant cost and low probability of theft.

The perpetrators also took multiple expensive jewelry from display cases.

A Stunned Stahl

Standing Beside An Empty Frame

Two paintings by other artist’s on loan to the museum were not taken. They were also the only artworks at the museum which were fully insured.

One of paintings left intact was The Moment of Silent Prayer, which Stahl called a “miracle picture” as it had not been damaged during a 1967 fire that destroyed Chicago’s convention center.

Moment of Silent Prayer

The thieves apparently knew the museum had no burglary alarm system or security guard, as they had entered by forcing open the lock of the museum’s steel rear door. Instead of cutting the canvasses out, which would have been far less time-consuming, they removed the paintings tack by tack from their frames. Most of the six-by-nine foot stolen paintings were canvas and could be rolled up.

Police believe multiple people were involved in the theft and that the laborious task of removing the paintings’ staples would have taken at least four hours. No fingerprints were found inside the museum, leading investigators to believe the thieves were professionals. Few clues surfaced to their identities.

Several witnesses recalled seeing a white van parked at the museum overnight, but it was never located.

Museum Of The Cross

Sarasota, Florida

Six weeks after the theft, police received a call from a man claiming to be a Catholic priest. The caller said a man purporting to be one of the people who had stolen the paintings had approached him at his church, saying he would return the artwork if paid $1 million. The supposed holy tipster refused to give his name, however, and did not contact the police again. Investigators dismissed the call as a prank.

No other ransom calls for the paintings were made.

The Press Dubbed It “Like Theft From Church”

Ben’s son, David, says he received information purporting the artwork was stored at the Museum of Fort Lauderdale, two-hundred-fifteen miles southeast of Sarasota. The information was submitted to him from Robert Steinstream, owner of the Steinstream Gallery in Boca Raton, twenty miles north of Fort Lauderdale and two-hundred-twenty miles southeast of Sarasota. David claims investigators did not sufficiently follow up on the tip.

David also says an informant also told him the paintings were stolen by three men, the leader of whom used the name Travis Rausch, though it was probably an alias. David again is critical of investigators, saying the FBI deemed the information unreliable and refused to investigate the angle.

I could not find a time frame for when David Stahl says he received his information.

David Stahl

Ben’s Son

The police files of the original investigation have apparently been lost. Some reports say they were destroyed in a fire at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department, while others contend they were lost in a flood. I could not find a record of either incident.

Rumors have placed the paintings in various locales of the United States, Central America, and South America. The mostly frequently mentioned countries as housing the paintings are Panama and Brazil.

Ben Stahl believed Brazil was a likely locale as he recalled speaking to two visitors touring his museum in the days before the theft. Ben said the men told him they were from South America and asked him odd questions. I could not find what the nature of the questions was.

https://americanartarchives.com/stahl%20stations%20of%20the%20cross.htm

Are The Paintings Is South America?

Ben Stahl died in 1987, not learning what happened to his masterpieces. His children continue to offer a reward for the return of their father’s artwork. I could not find a source stating how much they were offering.

The statute of limitations has run out on the theft, meaning anyone in possession of the paintings faces no risk of prosecution.

Dies Without Knowing

Who Had Pilfered His Prize Paintings

Ben Stahl appeared on Bob Ross’s The Joy of Painting a year before his death. Ross called Stahl “. . . a fantastic painter. He’s one of the best painters in the country.”

Stahl’s artwork appeared in roughly seven-hundred-fifty Saturday Evening Post stories. In a letter to him, Norman Rockwell wrote  “The rest of us are just illustrators, but you are among the masters and I am filled with admiration.”

Ben Stahl And Bob Ross On

The Joy Of Painting

Ben Stahl also produced advertising artwork for multiple companies and posters for several movies, including the 1959 adaptation of Ben-Hur. He also illustrated a number of books, including The Innkeeper’s Wife by A.J. Cronin, a limited edition of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind.

During his service in the Air Force reserves, Ben Stahl was also an official artist of the United States Air Force.

An Incredible Artist

SOURCES:

• Associated Press
• Los Angeles Times
• Miami Herald
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune
• New York Times
• Tamps Bay Times
• UPI