#OnThisDay in 1911 - "Mona Lisa" is stolen from the Louvre by Vincenzo Perugia (Recovered in 1913)
This image shows Vincenzo Peruggia’s apartment after police went through it to find the stolen Mona Lisa painting, 1911.
In Peruggia’s own account, he said that he simply came in on Monday morning along with other workers, waited until the gallery that housed the Mona Lisa was empty, took the painting off the wall, wrapped it in his smock, and walked out.
The staff at the Louvre did not even notice that the painting was missing until the next day.
After keeping the painting hidden in a trunk in his apartment for two years, Peruggia returned to Italy with it. He kept it in his apartment in Florence but grew impatient, and was finally caught when he contacted Alfredo Geri, the owner of an art gallery in Florence.
Peruggia served six months in prison and Italy praised him for his patriotism. He served in the Italian army during World War I and eventually moved back to France where he owned a paint shop until his death in 1925.
allthatsinteresting.com/vincenzo-perug…
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