Mona Lisa to Crown Jewels: 2025 Louvre Heist Shocks World

 The Day the Mona Lisa Vanished: How a Bold Heist Made History

In 1911, the Mona Lisa secretly "traveled" to her homeland of Italy—though not of her own accord. On August 21, 1911, an audacious theft at Paris' Louvre Museum created a sensation that would ultimately transform Leonardo da Vinci's portrait into the world's most famous painting.​

The Discovery

French painter Louis Béroud made the startling discovery on August 22, 1911, when he arrived at the Louvre intending to sketch his painting "Mona Lisa au Louvre". Instead of finding da Vinci's masterpiece hanging in its usual spot in the Salon Carré, Béroud saw only four iron pegs where the painting should have been. He immediately contacted the museum's head of security, who initially assumed the painting had been removed for photography—a routine occurrence at the time. Hours later, when Béroud checked back, officials confirmed their worst fears: the Mona Lisa had been stolen.​

The Investigation Begins

The theft sent shockwaves through the museum's administration, sparking what can only be described as organizational chaos at every level. The Louvre closed its doors for an entire week while the authorities launched an intensive search operation. A massive international investigation stretched across Europe, as police desperately sought leads.

Unlikely Suspects In the feverish atmosphere, several suspects were rounded up for questioning by investigators. The first person arrested in connection with the theft was French poet Guillaume Apollinaire. He had earlier made several inflammatory statements, including the provocative declaration that "the Louvre should be burned down". The careless rhetoric got him not only into custody but also embroiled his friend, the famous painter Pablo Picasso, in the scandal.​ The case against the two artists eventually fell apart, partly because of procedural incompetence and a press campaign for their defense. After interrogation, French police decided that Apollinaire and Picasso were innocent and let them free without charges. The true thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman who had previously worked in the Louvre, would not be found until two years later when he tried to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.​ 

Two Years of Mystery

Everyone became convinced that the Mona Lisa was lost forever, and for two years, no one could solve this puzzling mystery. The investigation stretched on with hundreds of false leads sent to police and press, while newspapers sold millions of copies speculating about the crime.

The thief who spirited away the Mona Lisa was no other than Vincenzo Peruggia himself, an employee who had worked at the Louvre. On August 21, 1911, Peruggia entered the museum at about 7 am, donning the white smock, which was customarily worn by museum employees and thus made him indistinguishable from the workers. At times when the Salon Carré was empty, he lifted the painting off its four iron pegs, took it to a nearby service stairway, removed the protective case and frame, and wrapped the wooden panel in his smock before tucking it under his arm. When he found himself trapped behind a locked service door, the plumber, having mistaken him for an employee, unlocked it for him to leave the museum successfully.

A Patriot's Motivation

In another sense, Peruggia was an Italian patriot: he believed that the Mona Lisa rightfully belonged to Italy. He took the painting across the Seine River to Italy and then waited patiently for two years, keeping it hidden in his Paris apartment.

However, after two years had passed—in 1913—his patience ran out. This impatience would lead to his capture and the Mona Lisa's return to the world. He attempted to sell the painting to the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. One can imagine the director could barely breathe when confronted with the masterpiece. He must have thought, "Here is the Mona Lisa, come home at last." In the letter Peruggia sent to the Uffizi Gallery director offering to sell the painting, he signed with the name "Leonardo". He later stated: "I am an Italian patriot that was seized by the desire to return to my Italy one of the numerous treasures that Napoleon stole from her"".

Justice and Diplomacy

The Italian government arrested Peruggia and, though originally sentenced to one year and fifteen days in prison, the sentence was reduced to seven months and nine days.

Following the discovery of the Mona Lisa's origins, which had been in Italy, the Italian government was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The nationalists argued that the Mona Lisa belonged to Italy—Leonardo was an Italian, the woman in the portrait was an Italian lady; therefore, the painting belonged to Italy and not France. On the other hand, France could also claim ownership, for that too was true—Leonardo spent his last three years in France.

For several weeks, the Mona Lisa was exhibited in various Italian cities, as tens of thousands flocked to pay their respects to their homeland's greatest artist's greatest creation. But understanding this was a matter to be settled diplomatically, peaceably, and realizing that the work of a universal artist should rest safely somewhere in the world, for future generations to consider, the Italian government accepted the decision to return it to the Louvre, the most prestigious museum in the world. On January 4, 1914, the Mona Lisa made the safe journey by train back to France. Massive crowds enthusiastically greeted her, and museum officials prepared a three-day exhibition devoted exclusively to her. 

A Star in Detention

Today, the Mona Lisa is resident in the Louvre Museum, a living, breathing Hollywood star with her own personal security detail. She resides in a climate-controlled concrete box that prevents any damage due to humidity. The triplex glass panel in front of her is bulletproof and stops gunfire.

It's estimated that 6 to 8 million people go to the Louvre every year just to see her. In total, the museum received 9 million visitors to its large galleries and hallways last year.

Rare Journeys Beyond the Louvre

After the 1911 incident, the Mona Lisa left the Louvre on only two occasions. She went to the United States for an exhibition in 1962 and to Japan for another exhibition in 1974. The bulletproof glass mentioned earlier was a gift she received following the Japanese exhibition.

Wartime Protection

During World War II, the protection of the Mona Lisa became a task that Louvre officials considered even more important than the protection of France itself. They moved the painting carefully first to the Château d'Amboise, then successively to Loc-Dieu Abbey and Château de Chambord, and finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban.

Similarly, the Mona Lisa reportedly had been moved for safekeeping to five different locations during the Franco-Prussian War back in the 1870s.

Attempts at Vandalism and Theft

The Mona Lisa has also had its fair share of troublemakers and vandals throughout the decades. One well-documented case happened on December 30, 1956, when one Bolivian national named Ugo Ungaza Villegas threw a stone and hit the painting near the lower left area. The impact caused a paint chip to fall away. Later that same year, another vandal caused more damage by throwing acid-laced paint at the lower portion of the work.

For instance, when the Mona Lisa went on exhibit in Japan in 1974, an irate visitor to the Tokyo National Museum—one upset with the museum's policies regarding visitors with disabilities—vented her frustration by splattering the masterwork with red paint. Fortunately, no lasting damage was caused by this attack.

Attacks by Women

It seems that women have borne particular animosity toward the painting, perhaps out of jealousy toward its subject. On August 2, 2009, a Russian woman attacked the Mona Lisa. Angered by France's refusal to grant her citizenship, she threw a teacup purchased from the museum gift shop at the portrait. Fortunately, the robust bulletproof glass that protects the painting—discussed earlier—absorbed the impact and the cup simply broke without causing any damage.

Unintended Damage from Conservation

Paradoxically, some of the greatest threats to the Mona Lisa have come not from vandals, but from well-meaning restoration efforts. Though the subject in the painting does not have eyebrows, Leonardo did not forget to paint them. They were simply removed during a restoration attempt in the 17th century, because of a solvent used by the restorer. It is believed by scholars that Leonardo applied the eyebrows last, after the painting had dried, which made them particularly susceptible to removal.

Likewise, the oak framing of the painting was also damaged by treatments for woodworm using beech wood preservatives in the 1950s and 1970s. 

Leonardo's Lost Works Brought Together

From November 2011 to February 2012, the National Gallery in London organized a blockbuster Leonardo exhibition that brought together for the first time works scattered around the world, together with other masterpieces and sketches by this genius of the Renaissance. Significantly missing from this remarkable gathering was the real Mona Lisa; it stayed permanently installed at the Louvre.

Despite this omission, the London exhibition represented perhaps the only—and possibly the last—opportunity for viewers to witness nearly all of Leonardo's surviving works displayed together in a single location. For Leonardo enthusiasts, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that may never be replicated.

Conclusion: A Timeless Icon Faces Modern Threats

Almost 114 years after Vincenzo Peruggia's audacious 1911 theft transformed the Mona Lisa into the world's most iconic painting, it still mesmerizes and inspires millions of annual visitors to the Louvre. Yet, despite state-of-the-art security rivaled by few museums anywhere in the world-bulletproof glass, climate control, and security personnel-the incidents that have happened show just how precarious that protection remains.

The heist at the Louvre, earlier this October 2025, wherein thieves bypassed all types of sophisticated security systems, stole some of the most valuable jewels there, brought a stark reminder that even the world's most prestigious museums remain vulnerable. Since then, museum officials have acknowledged security failures and insufficient camera coverage that prompted urgent reviews of safety protocols across French cultural institutions. The Mona Lisa's transformation-from Renaissance masterpiece to theft victim to international celebrity-epitomizes not only the aesthetic and historical value of the painting but also humanity's complex and often contradictory relationship with art: we want to preserve these treasures for future generations, yet we cannot protect them from those who would vandalize, steal, or exploit them. For as long as there has been extraordinary art, the balance between accessibility and security has been one of the museum world's greatest challenges. 

Author's Note: Originally written in Sinhala on my blog Sath Samudura (සත් සමුදුර).

This is my English translation and expansion, with 2025 updates and research. All content is 100% mine—researched from public sources, written, translated, and edited by me. Read the original: සත් සමුදුර Link. For more on the facts: BBC on the 1911 Mona Lisa Theft | Louvre's Mona Lisa Exhibit. Image Note: All images in this post are AI-generated for illustrative purposes. They are not real photos and are created to enhance storytelling.