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The Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, gained international fame after it was stolen in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia. It was recovered in 1913 and is now highly protected in the Louvre Museum.
News18
The Mona Lisa is among the most famous works of art and attracts millions of visitors to the Louvre annually. However, the painting’s international fame did not increase significantly until after it was stolen nearly a century ago.
The French royal family bought the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early sixteenth century. For many years, experts and scholars in the art community have considered it a masterpiece. But before 1911, the painting was not known internationally.
On August 21, 1911, the artwork disappeared from its place in the Louvre Museum. At first, museum staff thought they were being taken for cleaning or photographic purposes. Later, they realized that the painting had actually been stolen.
The theft caught the attention of the entire nation, with various media outlets reporting the incident. In addition, many people came to the Louvre to see the empty space that the Mona Lisa once occupied.
A large-scale search campaign involving police personnel was carried out to find the painting. During this period, well-known people such as the poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the artist Pablo Picasso were interrogated, as they were at the time involved in investigations into the theft of other works of art.
The thief was finally identified as Vincenzo Peruggia, an employee of the Italian museum. Investigations later revealed that he was able to enter the museum secretly wearing clothes worn by workers. He then managed to steal the painting and hide it inside a box in his home in Paris for two years.
Peruggia allegedly stole the Mona Lisa because he believed the artwork belonged to Italy because Leonardo da Vinci was from Italy. According to him, the Mona Lisa had been stolen and should therefore be returned to its rightful owners.
Later in 1913, Perugia tried to sell the painting to an art dealer in Florence. As a result, the authorities were informed and the painting was recovered and returned safely to France.
After that, the artwork toured various parts of Italy before being returned to the Louvre Museum in Paris. The painting became even more famous after the accident as publicity made it more famous around the world.
As a result of the increased interest, the painting’s popularity increased dramatically as the incident was continuously reported by media organizations. Currently, the Mona Lisa receives close protection by security guards and a glass cover.
30 April 2026 at 11:45 PM IST
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