August 21, 2011
One hundred years ago today, the world's most famous painting disappeared from the walls of the Louvre — Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Paris museum on August 21, 1911. And do you believe it took 28 hours for anyone to realize it was missing?
One of the first suspects questioned in the heist was none other than Pablo Picasso! The artist's friend/poet Guillaume Apollinaire accused Picasso of the theft, but both men were later exonerated.
The thief turned out to be an Italian handyman named Vincenzo Peruggia, who wanted to return the painting to his native country. Two years after the crime, Peruggia showed up in Florence, handed the artwork over to the Uffizi and was surprised to find himself under arrest.
Today, the Mona Lisa is visited by millions every year and has become the subject of many variations.
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August 21, 2011
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