The Mona Lisa.
Over 6 million people see this painting at The Louvre each year.
Of course, getting a picture of it while covered in bullet proof glass and surrounded by hundreds
of people is nearly impossible.
What if I told you this painting is famous not because DaVinci painted it, or because
of that smile she has?
What if I told you it has to do with one of the most fascinating art heists the world
has ever seen, but few people have ever heard about.
(music playing)
The year was 1911, and it was really hot and humid in Paris, which you would probably expect
for Monday, August 21st.
The night before three men had snuck into the The Louvre and hidden
overnight in a narrow storeroom.
These three men were Vincenzo Perugia, and his brothers Lancelotti, and Michele.
All three Italian, and all three on a rescue mission.
Or, so they thought!
Early in the morning they put on white workmen smocks and headed to the Salon Carré.
I know what you’re already thinking.
Wait, I thought the Mona Lisa was in its own gallery behind bulletproof glass surrounded
by hordes of tourists?
Nope, not at all.
In fact, the Mona Lisa was in a huge gallery along with many other pieces.
That morning the three Italians rip the painting off the wall, take off the glass shadow box
and frame, then Perugia hides it under his clothes.
Next thing you know they snuck down a hidden stairwell and out a side entrance into the
streets of Paris.
In no time at all, The Mona Lisa was gone.
You would think alarms would go off, guards would be at ready, police called immediately!
But, you would be wrong.
It took over 26 hours before anyone ever noticed she was missing!
Keep in mind, this is 1911, in what was then the world’s largest building, and security
was pretty weak with little more than 150 guards.
Stuff often went missing, and a lot of works got damaged.
At the time, the Mona Lisa was far from the most visited painting in the Louvre.
DaVinci painted it in 1507, and it took until 1860 for an art critic to finally decide it
was a fine example of Renaissance art.
Even then, it still wasn’t a popular painting.
But, even though it wasn’t in its own gallery, it wasn’t off the museum’s radar.
One year prior in 1910, the museum was mailed a letter from Vienna threatening the Mona Lisa.
Museum officials hired a professional to put about a dozen famous paintings under glass,
including the Mona Lisa.
The man who did the work was Vincenzo Perugia, who happened to grow up in a village north
of Milan, Italy.
Name sound familiar?
Stealing the Mona Lisa made sense for Perugia.
Most paintings that were stolen often went into a secret pipeline where you might barter
for drugs, weapons, or other items.
And trust me, Perugia definitely had the necessary criminal connections.
But, by late Tuesday after the robbery was discovered, there was a media explosion, not
just in Paris, but in newspapers around the world!
Crowds flooded at police headquarters.
Not so much because people loved the Mona LIsa, but a theft from the Louvre, which was
run by the French government gave newspapers
the chance to poke fun at them, and they took it!
At this point the Mona Lisa was way too hot to sell or trade.
Perugia didn’t just steal an Italian painting,
he took the Mona Lisa, which had now become
the world’s most famous painting.
Perugia had hidden the painting in a false bottom of a wooden trunk in his room.
The following November police questioned him
asking why he was late to work that Monday morning?
Perugia simply said he was drunk the night before and slept in.
Police bought the lie and guess who they arrested instead?
Pablo Picasso!
No worries, he was quickly released soon after.
In December 1913, 28 months later, Perugia left his boardinghouse with his trunk and
took a train to Florence, Italy.
He tried to sell the painting to an art dealer, but the dealer quickly called the police.
Perugia pled guilty and served only eight months in prison.
Now an international celebrity, the Mona Lisa returned to the Louvre following exhibitions
around Italy.
Within the first 2 days over 100,000 people came to see it!
That brings us back to today, where millions now flock to see this painting.
A lot of people now question if this painting is really that good?
Maybe?
Or, is a painting only great when enough people collectively believe it is?
As for the Mona Lisa, those eyes are definitely doing something, and that smoky, sfumato technique
DaVinci used to paint them was definitely revolutionary.
But, I say it’s not his best work.
In fact, if you go see the Mona Lisa be sure to step just outside the gallery where several
other DaVinci pieces are hanging with no one around them, of course.
Until next time, be Artrageous!