The Greatest Art Heists in History: From Goya to the Mona Lisa

The article recounts two of the most famous art thefts in history. In 1961, Kempton Bunton stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London, demanding a ransom to fund BBC licenses for the elderly. The painting was recovered in 1965, and Bunton served three months. The theft was referenced in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No. The second theft, the 1911 stealing of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre by Vincenzo Peruggia, led to the suspicion of Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire. Peruggia claimed patriotism but may have been part of a forgery scheme by Eduardo de Valfierno, who sold six copies to US collectors. The article notes that modern artnapping is carried out by organized crime, citing thefts from the Munch Museum, Bührle Collection, Kunsthal Rotterdam, and others, and that the romantic era of art theft for charity or patriotism is over.