On August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The theft was discovered the following day when an artist noticed the painting's absence from the Salon CarrΓ©. The museum was closed for a week for investigation.
The thief was Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman who had previously worked at the Louvre. He hid inside the museum overnight, took the painting off the wall, and concealed it under his coat. Peruggia kept the painting in his apartment in Paris for two years.
In December 1913, Peruggia attempted to sell the painting to an art dealer in Florence, Italy. The dealer alerted authorities, and Peruggia was arrested. The Mona Lisa was recovered and returned to the Louvre in January 1914.
The theft made the Mona Lisa one of the most famous paintings in the world, as newspapers worldwide covered the story. Peruggia claimed he stole it to return it to Italy, but he was convicted and served a short prison sentence.
