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Who stole the Mona Lisa?

In what would come to be known as the ‘art heist of the century’, the plan was as audacious as it was simple.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa?

By Danylo Hawaleshka

History Illustrated is a weekly series of insightful perspectives that puts news events and current affairs into historical context using graphics generated with artificial intelligence.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — La Gioconda — better known as the Mona Lisa — wasn’t really that famous before she was stolen.

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History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — The man who stole her, Vincenzo Peruggia, had once worked at the Louvre and had, ironically, helped build a protective case for the 16th century masterpiece.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — On Sunday, August 20, 1911, Peruggia and two accomplices took advantage of lax security and hid overnight in a storage closet at the Louvre.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — The next morning, while the museum was still closed, they calmly took down Leonardo da Vinci’s priceless work, wrapped it in a cloth and waltzed out a side door.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — It took more than 24 hours to discover the “art heist of the century”, when a visiting artist, intending to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa, found only empty wall space.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — Police blitzed the Louvre, questioning people, while the media ran wild with the story. When the Louvre reopened, crowds came to stare at the bare wall hooks.

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History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — Because Peruggia was a former Louvre employee, police interviewed him — not once, but twice — but found nothing to incriminate him.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — Peruggia would wait over two years before writing to Alfredo Geri, an Italian art dealer, ostensibly out of a desire to repatriate the painting to Italy. Geri was stunned when he saw that smile.

History illustrated: Who stole the Mona Lisa? — Geri called the police, who on December 11, 1913, arrested Peruggia. The man who planned the heist would serve only seven months in jail. As for the Mona Lisa, the theft turned out to only add to her mystique, so much so that today it is probably the most famous painting in the world.