August 21, 1911 –
Pablo Picasso was having a very bad day.
His so-called friend, French poet Guillaume Apollinaire—who had once declared that the Louvre should be “burned down”—came under suspicion when the Mona Lisa was stolen from the museum on this day. He was arrested and jailed. True to form, Apollinaire implicated his friend Pablo Picasso, who was also brought in for questioning. Both were later exonerated.
Very nice guy.
At the time, many feared the painting was lost forever. It would take two years before the real thief was identified: Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia. He had stolen the masterpiece by entering during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet, and walking out with it tucked under his coat after closing time.
Peruggia claimed patriotic motives—he believed da Vinci’s painting belonged in Italy, not in France. However, he may have also been encouraged by an accomplice who sold Mona Lisa forgeries, which skyrocketed in value after the original disappeared.
After keeping the painting hidden in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient. He was finally caught when he tried to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The Mona Lisa was displayed throughout Italy before being triumphantly returned to the Louvre in 1913.
Peruggia was celebrated as a patriot in Italy and served only a few months in jail for the theft.
And so it goes
The Haus of Dcaligari 