Ben Stahl -

Unsolved Mysteries Stahl Paintings – Stations Of The Cross

I was in this episode of Unsolved Mysteries, the title was Unsolved Mysteries Stahl Paintings. I was the “lead” thief who stole the paintings of Ben Stahl. Ben Stahl was an American painter with fifty national awards who created fifteen paintings depicting scenes of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

“Pilgrims in Jerusalem today still retrace Christ’s sorrowful journey to Calvary. This journey is also possible for those who cannot travel to Jerusalem, for in Catholic churches, fourteen ‘stations’ or stopping-places are marked, each commemorating an event in the Passion. Passing from station to station, the faithful look at the picture of the event, meditate on its meaning, and pray for the grace it suggests.

Even one who cannot make the ‘stations’ in a church can follow Christ in spirit by contemplating these scenes and meditating on the events they represent. Artists of all ages have pictured the Passion, but none of the Old Masters seems to have produced a distinguished and complete set of stations. A modern artist, Ben Stahl, therefore undertook to tell the story of Christ’s Passion.

After exhaustive personal research in Jerusalem, he dedicated himself completely to this supreme effort of his career. The result is the most authentic and moving series of stations ever painted. The accompanying prayers are adapted from the way of the Cross of Saint Alphonsus Liguori.”

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Station 1: Jesus Is Condemned To Death – “My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee by the merits of this sorrowful journey to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity.”

Born in Chicago in 1910, Ben Stahl was introduced to the world of art by his grandmother. She took him on visits to the Chicago Art Institute and other galleries beginning when he was six years old and continuing until he was fifteen. After these adventures she would buy him oilcloth, brushes, and paints, and he would create “masterpieces” on the front porch of the family home.

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Station 2: Jesus Made To Carry The Cross – “My most beloved Jesus, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, give me the necessary help to carry my cross with perfect patience and resignation.”

Stahl also read voraciously, which did not translate into academic excellence. However, when he was in seventh grade, he received a scholarship to attend Saturday morning lectures at the Chicago Art Institute. He would spend his Saturday afternoons drawing live animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo and the stuffed variety at the Field Museum, honing his knowledge of animal anatomy.

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Station 3: Jesus Falls The First Time – “My Beloved Jesus, it wasn’t the cross, but my sins that made Thee suffer so much, save me from the great misfortune of ever falling into mortal sin.”

After high school, Stahl got a job as an apprentice at a commercial art studio. One of the partners, realizing Stahl was ambitious and talented, encouraged him to draw and paint to create a portfolio. It was the contents of this portfolio that landed him a job at Chicago’s most prestigious art studio. During his time there and at other studios, plus a stint as a journalist for the Chicago Daily News, Stahl continued to develop a unique style, influenced by the Impressionists, which he felt would carry the mood and the emotional impact of commercial illustrations.

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Station 4: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother – “My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow of this meeting, grant me a devoted Love for Thy most holy Mother. And thou, my queen, obtain for me a tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son.”

Ironically, Stahl’s first assignment for The Saturday Evening Post was to illustrate a sea story – this for an artist who had never seen either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans! The editors liked his work, and there followed four years of marine-themed assignments. Eventually Stahl asked for a change, so his next assignment was set in the desert – which he had also never seen.

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Station 5: The Cyrenean Helps Jesus To Carry His Cross – “My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross, as the Cyrenean did. I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death destined for me. I unite it to Thy death; I offer it to Thee.”

He was being noticed, however, and eventually he decided to move to New York and become a freelance illustrator. He illustrated over 750 stories for the Post along with a number of other magazines, and he continued to explore new approaches in his easel painting.

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Station 6: Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus – “My Jesus, Thy face was beautiful before; but wounds and blood have disfigured it. My soul was also once beautiful; but my sins have disfigured it. Restore it, my Redeemer, to its former beauty”

In 1951, Stahl was commissioned to paint “The 14 Stations of the Cross” for a special edition Bible published in 1952 by the Catholic Press of Chicago. For this assignment Stahl spent over three months in Jerusalem making preliminary sketches and conducting extensive research before beginning the paintings.

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Station 7: Jesus Falls The Second Time – “My most gentle Jesus, how many times hast Thou Pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again. Oh, by the merits of this new fall, help me to persevere in Thy grace until death.”

These 45 x 34 inch oil on canvas paintings became part of the collection of the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1965, Stahl created another series of mural-sized Stations of the Cross which were housed in the Museum of the Cross, which he designed, in Sarasota, Florida. Four years later, all of the large 9 x 6 feet canvases were stolen – an art theft estimated at $1.5 million ($10 million when adjusted for inflation). The paintings were never recovered.

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Station 8: Jesus Speaks To The Women Of Jerusalem – “My Jesus, I weep for the sins I committed against Thee, because of the pains they have deserved, but more because of the displeasure they have caused Thee, who hast Loved me so much.”

On April 17, 1969, an unknown group of thieves broke into the museum through the fire door and stole the complete series of paintings. The paintings were not insured because of the exorbitant cost and the low probability of possible theft.

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Station 9: Jesus Falls A Third Time – “My outraged Jesus, by the merits of Thy weakness going to Calvary, give me strength to conquer all human respect, and my wicked passions, which have led me to sin.”

The thieves also stole expensive crucifix jewelry from the display cases, yet left behind two very expensive Macintosh sound systems. The thieves were very methodical in the crime, removing the paintings tack by tack from their frames.
They were never caught, and it is now believed that the artworks could possibly be hidden away in some private collection away from public view, possibly without the owners knowing they are stolen.

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Station 10: Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments – “My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the painful torment Thou hast experienced, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my Love in Thee”

The statute of limitations ran out on the theft. Over the years, rumors have placed the paintings in the Bahamas, South America, Brazil, and different parts of the United States. Sadly, Ben passed away in 1987 without ever finding his paintings. Now, Ben Stahl’s children want to find the paintings to pay tribute to their father.

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Station 11: Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross – “My Jesus loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there, to Love Thee and never to quit Thee again. I Love Thee, and I repent of ever having offended Thee.”

Suspects: No known suspects; police believe at least three people were involved. Witnesses recalled seeing a white van parked at the museum overnight, but no fingerprints were ever found inside, indicating the thieves were very experienced. Although the FBI became involved, their involvement was cursory, and they never kept a record of the stolen artworks.

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Station 12: Jesus Dies On The Cross – “My dear Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which Thou didst die for me. Thy death is my hope. By the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die embracing Thy feet and burning with Love for Thee.”

Six weeks after the theft, investigators received a tip from a man claiming to be a Catholic priest. He claimed that a man had approached him at his church, claiming to be one of the people that had stolen the paintings.The alleged thief demanded $1 million for the paintings. However, the lead did not pan out; the priest did not give his name and eventually stopped contacting investigators.

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Station 13: Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross – “Oh Mother of Sorrow, for the Love of this Son, accept me and pray for Him for me. And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for me, permit me to Love Thee; I wish but Thee and nothing more.”

Robert Seinstream of the Seinstream Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida claimed to Stahl’s son, David, that he had seen the paintings in storage at the Museum of Fort Lauderdale, but this tip was never followed. The files on the original robbery investigation were reportedly lost in a fire at the sheriff’s department, but another source claimed they were lost by a flood. There are no records of either incident.

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Station 14: Jesus Is Laid In The Sepulcher – “My buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But Thou didst rise again on the third day. I beseech Thee by Thy resurrection, Jesus, let me rise glorious with Thee on the last day.”

Eventually, David Stahl was linked by a friend he knew to an informant who said the paintings were stolen by a figure known only as “Travis Rausch” aided by two other men. On his own, Stahl has been privately following every lead, but without the assistance of the Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, he is limited in the scope of his investigation. While the FBI sometimes dispose of unsolved cases, several retired FBI agents confide that disposal is not routine and should be suspect.

Extra Notes: This case originally ran on the April 7, 1993 episode. It was also covered on ABC News Primetime Live.

Results: Unsolved. Ben’s children are offering a reward for the safe return of his paintings. Since the statute of limitations has run out on the theft, anyone who might have unknowingly bought the stolen paintings will not face prosecution