The Theft of the Mona Lisa: An Italian Icon Forever in Paris
On the morning of August 21, 1911, at 7:20 AM, Vincenzo Peruggia committed the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris, driven by a sense of nationalism. He hid the artwork beneath his jacket, abandoning the frame. The first to notice the absence was copyist Louis Beroud, who presumed it was for a photography session. By 11 AM, the alarm was sounded. The far-right group Action Française blamed the Jewish community, while poet Guillaume Apollinaire was implicated by Honoré Géry Pieret. Peruggia kept the painting hidden until December 1912, when he reached out to antiquarian Alfredo Geri, asking for 500,000 lire to return it. Geri informed the authorities, resulting in Peruggia's arrest and a seven-month prison term. He later served in World War I, returned to Dumenza, and passed away in 1925. This incident significantly boosted the Mona Lisa's fame.
Key facts
- Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre on August 21, 1911.
- The theft occurred at 7:20 AM, and the painting was hidden under Peruggia's jacket.
- Louis Beroud was the first to notice the painting's absence.
- Action Française accused the Jewish lobby; Apollinaire was implicated by Honoré Géry Pieret.
- Peruggia kept the painting under his kitchen table until December 1912.
- Alfredo Geri received a letter from Peruggia offering the painting for 500,000 lire.
- Peruggia was arrested at the Tripoli pension in Florence and sentenced to seven months in prison.
- Leonardo da Vinci gave the Mona Lisa to King Francis I of France in 1518.
- Napoleon requisitioned the Codex Atlanticus in 1796; Antonio Canova recovered it and returned it to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.
- Peruggia died in 1925 in Paris.
Entities
Artists
- Vincenzo Peruggia
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Louis Beroud
- Guillaume Apollinaire
- Pablo Picasso
- Alfredo Geri
- Antonio Canova
- Lisa Gherardini
- Felicia Guida
Institutions
- Louvre
- Action Française
- Biblioteca Ambrosiana
- Hotel La Gioconda
- MIfacciodiCultura
- Artspecialday
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Florence
- Italy
- Dumenza
- Varese
- Milan