Did you know? Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was not always world-famous — its fame exploded after it was stolen in 1911.
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The theft that shocked the world
On 21 August 1911 the Mona Lisa vanished from the wall of the Louvre in Paris. The thief was Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman who had worked at the museum.
Front-page news
Newspapers covered the story for months, and crowds came just to stare at the empty space where the painting had hung. The Mona Lisa became a household name, not only among art lovers.
Back to the Louvre
In 1913 Peruggia tried to sell the painting to an art dealer in Florence, Italy, and was caught. It returned to the Louvre in 1914 and is now one of the most visited paintings in the world.
Summary
- Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century
- Stolen on 21 August 1911
- Recovered in Florence in 1913
- The theft made it the most famous painting in the world
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📚 Sources: Smithsonian · Britannica · Louvre
