World History Moment: Mona Lisa Stolen

The Mona Lisa by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, at the Louvre museum in Paris.
The Mona Lisa by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, at the Louvre museum in Paris.

World History Moment: Mona Lisa Stolen

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After Leonardo Da Vinci died, the Mona Lisa was purchased by the King of France. It eventually became part of the collection at the Louvre in Paris. To the general public, it was just another painting among many.

On the morning of August 21, a museum official noticed that the Mona Lisa was not hanging in its usual spot. Suddenly, the Mona Lisa was the most famous painting in the world. The Paris police had no clues. They rounded up everyone in the local art world who seemed suspicious. Among the suspects who was arrested and later cleared was a young Spanish artist named Pablo Picasso. Historian John Schmidt tells Worldview who ended up being the thief, and why they did it.