Mona Lisa Stolen – 1911
It seems that it might take a lot of planning and even technology to steal one of the world's most famous paintings, but on this day in 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia just walked into the Louvre, took down the painting, hid it in his clothes, and strolled out.
Some time later an amateur painter set up his easel to paint a copy of the master painting, and of course noticed that it was gone—and that is the first the Louvre knew of the theft!
It took two years to recover the painting. Investigators and detectives couldn't find it, but Peruggia attempted to return the painting for ransom money and was caught.
Thankfully, the painting was unharmed.
Create your own portrait, inspired by the Mona Lisa.
To find out the real story of Vincenzo Peruggia and the theft of the Mona Lisa -- watch for our documentary The Missing Piece. www.monalisamissing or follow us on twitter @monalisatolen
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