Stolen Into Fame

The Mona Lisa was respected but not legendary until 1911, when an Italian handyman named Vincenzo Peruggia walked out of the Louvre with it under his coat. The theft made global headlines. For two years, the empty wall space drew more visitors than the painting ever had. When it was recovered, it was the most famous artwork on Earth.

Before the theft, Pablo Picasso was briefly a suspect. The police also questioned poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who was actually arrested. The scandal put the painting on front pages worldwide and transformed it from a masterpiece into a cultural phenomenon.