Vincenzo Peruggia's Theft of the Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa was once stolen from her home in the Louvre and subsequently spent roughly two years rolled up in the closet of a carpenter's apartment. Fact really is stranger than fiction. The most famous work of art in the world was eventually rescued from obscurity, but her theft remains one of the most famous art heists in history. It is also one of the weirdest stories to come out of the Louvre and there are many weird stories connected to the Louvre.

On the night of August 20/21, 1911, a Louvre worker named Vincenzo Peruggia waited out of sight in the Louvre. Sometime in the early morning, he snuck into the room that houses the Mona Lisa, removed her from her case and walked out of the room. On his way out of the Paris museum, he removed the painting from her frame and hid her beneath his outer clothing. He walked out of the museum and presumably home with no one the wiser. Professional handlers of art such as the Mona Lisa must cringe at the thought of her being taken so callously. Luckily, no damage was done, but no one would know that for years to come.

August 21 at the Louvre passed without incident. It seems impossible, but the theft was not noticed. Those who saw the empty space where she should be assumed that she was elsewhere in the Louvre undergoing maintenance or having her picture taken. It was not until the next morning that it became obvious she was gone.

The Louvre was shut down immediately and all 49-acres of the castle-like museum were searched. Police investigators found only the frame. The entire country became involved. French borders were closed. No ship or train could leave without undergoing a search. Everyone in the area was questioned, including Vincenzo Peruggia, but there was nothing to go on. No one suspected the carpenter had turned criminal mastermind.

As with all such sensational crimes, countless tips were given to authorities. Nearly all of them led nowhere. However, one such tip did lead police on an interesting chase. A couple of statues that were stolen from the Louvre before the disappearance of the Mona Lisa turned up. It turned out that Pablo Picasso - the famous painter - purchased some of these stolen statues. Police made a wild connection and acquaintances started throwing accusations that led police to believe Picasso had also purchased La Giaconda (the Mona Lisa). He had nothing to do with it and police were forced to let him go.

Peruggia eventually implicated himself by trying to sell the painting to an unsympathetic art dealer. He brought the painting with him to Florence to have it authenticated and purchased by said dealer. The dealer authenticated the painting and then contacted the police. Vincenzo was arrested, tried and found guilty. He was let off with time served in 1914.

Adding to this strange story of thievery, a masterpiece and a falsely accused painter is the reasoning behind the theft. Vincenzo Peruggia claimed to be personally offended by Napoleon's theft of so many Italian masterpieces that he decided to return the Mona Lisa to Italy, DaVinci's homeland. The problem is that he had many stolen works to choose from, but the Mona Lisa was obtained by fair means. It was sold to King Francois I of France and is now legally and morally the property of France. Lucky for Vincenzo, his mistake did not end in a ruined painting or a long jail sentence.

Sources

Lacayo, Richard, Art's Great Whodunit: The Mona Lisa Theft of 1911, retrieved 4/30/11, time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1894006,00.html

Bell, Rachel, The Theft of the Mona Lisa, retrieved 4/30/11, trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/majorart_thefts/index.html