Lena Rivera
On 21 August 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. At the time, the painting was not well-known, and security at the museum was minimal. The theft of the painting brought it into the limelight, and soon after, a tip from an art thief led the police to suspect Pablo Picasso, one of the country's most promising young artists.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Theft | 21 August 1911 |
| Painting | Mona Lisa |
| Artist | Leonardo da Vinci |
| Location | Louvre Museum, Paris |
| Suspects | Pablo Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire |
| Thief | Vincenzo Peruggia |
| Recovery | Recovered two years later |
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What You'll Learn
The theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911
On 21 August 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting vanished from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The museum was closed that Monday, and security was minimal. In fact, the theft was only discovered on Tuesday morning when French artist Louis Béroud arrived at the Louvre intending to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa. The security guards initially assumed that other museum staff had removed the painting for photography, conservation, or research.
The Louvre's security at the time was abysmal. There were fewer than 150 security personnel in charge of guarding 250,000 artifacts, and none of the paintings were bolted to the walls. The Mona Lisa, for example, hung from four hooks. Prior to the heist, a French reporter had even spent the night in a Louvre sarcophagus to expose the museum's poor surveillance.
In the aftermath of the theft, France's borders were closed, with officials examining every vehicle crossing the country's eastern border. Media coverage of the heist spread across the globe, turning the little-known painting into a household name.
Among the suspects were Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire, who were known associates of the art thief Honore-Joseph Géry Pieret. Pieret had stepped forward claiming to have stolen art from the Louvre before and selling it to "friends". Indeed, he had sold two Iberian sculptures to Picasso, which the artist kept buried in a cupboard in his Paris apartment. However, neither Apollinaire nor Picasso had played any part in the disappearance of the Mona Lisa. The two artists were cleared of any connection to the crime when police discovered that the painting had been stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian artist who had been working at the Louvre.
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![The Theft of the Mona Lisa [Region 2]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sIASwJmjL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire's arrest and trial
On 21 August 1911, the Mona Lisa vanished from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The painting was not discovered missing until the next morning when French artist Louis Béroud arrived at the Louvre intending to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa. The security guards assumed other museum staff had removed the painting for photography, conservation, or other research.
Police attention soon turned to Pablo Picasso, one of the country's most promising young artists. Picasso had moved to Paris a decade earlier and lived with a group of Bohemians known as la bande de Picasso ("the Wild Men of Paris"), which included the poet and writer Guillaume Apollinaire. Apollinaire's former secretary was Honore-Joseph Géry Pieret, a Belgian man who had confessed to stealing art from the Louvre before and giving the works to "friends".
Within days of Apollinaire's visit to the newspaper, the police had detained him. Apollinaire confessed to everything: harboring Pieret, possessing stolen art, and conspiring to conceal evidence. He also confessed to knowing Picasso, despite Picasso's denial of the same.
In early September, Picasso was ordered to appear before a magistrate. The terrified painter wept in court and hysterically alleged that he had never met Apollinaire. Judge Henri Drioux ultimately dismissed the case, concluding that it had nothing to do with the Mona Lisa's disappearance. Two years later, both men were cleared of any connection to the crime when police discovered that the painting had been stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian artist who had been working at the Louvre.
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Stolen Iberian statues bought by Picasso
Pablo Picasso was suspected of stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, in 1911. The painting, created by Leonardo da Vinci, was stolen on 21 August 1911, when the museum was closed and security was minimal.
While Picasso played no part in the theft, he was in possession of two stolen Iberian statues that were stolen from the Louvre. These statues were sold to Picasso by Honore-Joseph Géry Pieret, the former secretary of Guillaume Apollinaire, in 1907. Pieret had stolen at least two Iberian sculptures, made in the 3rd or 4th century BCE, from the Louvre and sold them to Picasso for 50 francs each.
Upon learning of the theft of the Mona Lisa, Pieret stepped into the Paris-Journal's office and claimed that he had stolen art from the Louvre before, giving them to his "friends". This led the police to suspect Picasso and Apollinaire, who were in possession of the stolen Iberian sculptures.
Fearing deportation, Picasso and Apollinaire attempted to dispose of the stolen sculptures by throwing them into the River Seine. However, they ultimately could not go through with it and instead returned the sculptures to the Paris-Journal, demanding anonymity. Despite this, Apollinaire was arrested and gave up Picasso and Pieret to the police. Both men were charged with dealing in stolen art from the Louvre but were later cleared of any connection to the Mona Lisa theft.
The stolen Iberian sculptures had a significant influence on Picasso's work. He combined the hard outlines and inscrutable expressions of the sculptures with a strong sense of individual personality in his portraits. He also explored the female nude, using strong lines and geometric forms similar to Iberian examples.
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The painting was found two years later
On 21 August 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. At the time, the painting was not famous, and security at the museum was poor. The theft was only discovered the next day when an artist arrived at the museum intending to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa.
Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire were suspected of the crime. Apollinaire's former secretary, Honore-Joseph Géry Pieret, had confessed to stealing two Iberian sculptures from the Louvre and selling them to Picasso. Pieret also claimed that he had friends who had stolen art from the Louvre before.
Believing that these friends might have been involved in the theft of the Mona Lisa, the police detained Apollinaire and ordered Picasso to appear before a magistrate. However, the judge determined that the two men had nothing to do with the disappearance of the painting and threw out the case.
Two years later, the painting was found in the possession of Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian artist who had been working at the Louvre. Peruggia had stolen the painting by dressing up as a Louvre employee and walking out with it hidden in his stolen uniform. The recovery of the painting cleared Picasso and Apollinaire of any possible connection to the crime.
The theft of the Mona Lisa transformed the relatively unknown painting into a household name. Today, the painting is one of the most famous in the world, attracting large queues of visitors to the Louvre. The museum has also significantly improved its security measures, ensuring that such an incident does not occur again.
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The Louvre's poor security at the time
The Louvre's security in 1911 was notoriously poor, which is why it was so easy for Vincenzo Peruggia to steal the Mona Lisa. The museum was home to 250,000 artefacts, yet there were fewer than 150 security personnel in charge of guarding them. None of the paintings were bolted to the walls, and the Mona Lisa itself hung from just four hooks.
The theft occurred on a Monday, when the museum was closed, and security was minimal. Peruggia, who had briefly worked at the Louvre as a glazier, entered the museum at around 7 am, wearing a white smock that made him look like a museum employee. He lifted the painting off the four iron pegs that secured it to the wall and took it to a nearby service stairway.
The museum personnel were allowed to remove artwork with such impunity that guards did not notice the Mona Lisa was missing for a full 24 hours, assuming it was out for maintenance or photography. This was not unusual, as there was a project underway at the time to photograph the Louvre's many works. Each piece had to be taken to the roof, as cameras of the day did not work well inside.
Prior to the theft of the Mona Lisa, the Louvre's security had been exposed by a French reporter who spent the night in one of the museum's sarcophagi. Despite this, the museum failed to improve its security measures, and the Mona Lisa was able to be stolen without much difficulty.
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Frequently asked questions
The Mona Lisa.
The Louvre Museum in Paris.
Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian artist who worked at the Louvre.
Picasso was put on trial for the theft of the painting but was cleared of any involvement.
Yes, the theft brought the painting global media coverage, turning it into a household name.
