Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. As you may remember from my first post, I talked about the theft of Munch’s “The Scream” and “Madonna” paintings in 2004. Fortunately, the Oslo Police Force recovered these paintings in excellent condition in May 2006. Like the theft of Munch’s paintings, individual art thefts tend to be even more daring and spectacular.
Another story – probably the most famous case of art theft – involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. Created in 1503, Leonardo da Vinci's oil-on-poplar-wood masterpiece of a woman with an "enigmatic smile" continues to be hailed as one of the greatest works of art ever produced. The painting was known only to a few art buffs in 1911 and lay almost hidden in an obscure corner in the Louvre.
On Monday, August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. Vincenzo Peruggio (left), an Italian tradesman, hid out in a small room in the Louvre, France, waiting for people to leave and the museum to close. The Italian stayed there all Sunday night, and on Monday morning crept out, took the Mona Lisa off the wall, removed it from its frame and calmly walked outside with the world’s most famous painting (the museum was closed on Monday). He later told police he just wanted to restore the masterpiece to its rightful home – Italy – where Leonardo da Vinci painted it.Museum staff took a day to even notice the painting was missing. Many thought the museum’s photographer had taken it up to his studio to record. When it was noticed missing, police closed the Louvre for a week to investigate. Many people were questioned about the theft – from museum employees to people who worked or lived nearby. Perhaps somebody might have seen someone acting "suspiciously?" The police even questioned the great artist Pablo Picasso, who was 29 years old at the time. Picasso had previously bought two stone sculptures from a friend named Pieret. Pieret had actually stolen these pieces from the Louvre months before the Mona Lisa was stolen. Picasso thought that perhaps his friend might have also stolen the Mona Lisa.
Fearful of the implications and bad publicity, Picasso had the sculptures given to a local newspaper in order for their return to the museum. Picasso wished to remain anonymous, but someone gave his name to the police. After an interrogation, the police concluded that Picasso knew nothing about the theft of the Mona Lisa. Interestingly enough, the police also called in Peruggio. He had worked at the Louvre 10 months prior to the theft, placing the museum’s masterpieces behind glass. However, police released him, allegedly because he’d appeared too calm to have anything to do with the crime.
In the Autumn of 1913, two years after the Mona Lisa was stolen, a well-known antique dealer, Alfredo Geri, innocently placed an ad in several Italian newspapers which stated that he was "a buyer at good prices of art objects of every sort." Soon after he placed the ad, Geri received a letter dated November 29, 1913, that stated the writer was in possession of the stolen Mona Lisa. The letter had a post office box in Paris as a return address and had been signed only as "Leonardo." Though Geri thought he was dealing with someone who had a copy rather than the real Mona Lisa, he contacted Commendatore Giovanni Poggi, museum director of the Uffizi Museum in Florence, Italy. Together, they decided that Geri would write a letter in return saying that he would need to see the painting before he could offer a price.
Another letter came almost immediately asking Geri to go to Paris to see the painting. Geri replied, stating that he could not go to Paris, but, instead, arranged for "Leonardo" to meet him in Milan on December 22. On December 10, 1913, an Italian man with a mustache appeared at Geri's sales office in Florence. After waiting for other customers to leave, the stranger told Geri that he was Leonardo Vincenzo and that he had the Mona Lisa back in his hotel room. Leonardo stated that he wanted a half million lire for the painting (around $100,000 at that time). Leonardo explained that he had stolen the painting in order to restore to Italy what had been stolen from it by Napoleon. Thus, Leonardo made the stipulation that the Mona Lisa was to be hung at the Uffizi and never given back to France. However, this point was wrong because, in fact, Leonardo himself had sold the portrait to the French king Francis I in 1516 for 4,000 gold thalers, a top price even back then.
With some quick, clear thinking, Geri agreed to the price but said the director of the Uffizi would want to see the painting before agreeing to hang it in the museum. Leonardo then suggested they meet in his hotel room the next day. Upon his leaving, Geri contacted the police and the Uffizi. The following day, Geri and Poggi appeared at Leonardo's hotel room. Leonardo pulled out a wooden trunk. After opening the trunk, Leonardo pulled out a pair of underwear, some old shoes, and a shirt. Then Leonardo removed a false bottom -- and there lay the Mona Lisa. Geri and the museum director noticed and recognized the Louvre seal on the back of the painting. This was obviously the real Mona Lisa. The museum director said that he would need to compare the painting with other works by Leonardo da Vinci. They then walked out with the painting. Leonardo Vincenzo, whose real name was Vincenzo Peruggio, was arrested.
Allegedly, an Argentinean con artist named Eduardo de Valfierno convinced Vincenzo to steal the Mona Lisa. Valfierno "commissioned the French art forger Yves Chaudron to make copies of the painting so he could sell them as the missing original," leaving the real Mona Lisa in Vincenzo's care because it wasn't needed for the con. Vincenzo, however, claimed that he stole the painting so he could restore it to its proper home, Italy.
The story of the caper was actually much simpler than many had theorized. Vincenzo Peruggio, born in Italy, had worked in Paris at the Louvre in 1908. Still known by many of the guards, Peruggio had walked into the museum, noticed the Salon Carré empty, grabbed the Mona Lisa, went to the staircase, removed the painting from its frame, and walked out of the museum with the Mona Lisa under his painters smock. Peruggio hadn't had a plan to dispose of the painting; his only goal was to return it to Italy.
The public went wild at the news of finding the Mona Lisa. The painting was displayed throughout Italy before it was returned to France on December 30, 1913. Police and museum curators were less interested in why the painting was stolen and were relieved just to have found it in reasonable condition. Peruggio was sentenced to a year and two weeks in prison for the theft, a surprisingly brief term considering the magnitude of the crime. Since its theft, great effort has been made to ensure the masterpiece is never stolen again.
