The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is probably the most famous painting in the world.0:24
A star attraction at the Louvre Museum in Paris.0:31
Her famous smile continues to inspire.0:33
However, did you know that a thief once stole the Mona Lisa from the museum and caused an international scandal?0:37
The mystery 7am 21st August 1911 and just another Monday morning at the Louvre.0:43
Guards, cleaning staff, maintenance workers and curators were all working in the building before reopening its doors to the public on Tuesday.0:51
While they were working, though, at some time between 7 and 8:30am Someone entered the empty Salon Carre, unhooked the Mona Lisa from the wall and carried it off down a stairwell.0:59
The stairs led to a door locked from the outside, but somehow the thief escaped through it.1:11
At first, museum workers assumed that the official photographer was shooting pictures of the painting in his studio.1:16
An afternoon and evening passed by, and it wasn't until the following day that they realized the precious artwork was missing.1:22
It was the beginning of a huge international search for the missing Mona Lisa.1:29
The only clue was the discovery of the painting's heavy frame, discarded on the stairs.1:34
There were conflicting rumors in the newspapers.1:39
The Mona Lisa was now in Switzerland, South America, or in a small apartment in the Bronx, New York.1:42
No one knew who really committed the crime and how.1:48
On that fateful Monday morning, an Italian man called Vincenzo Peruggia was hiding in a small room within the museum.1:54
Peruggia, once a worker at the Louvre, knew the building very well.2:01
The guard on duty in the Salon Carre admitted leaving his post for a few minutes at around 8am While the guard was away, Peruggia lifted the Mona Lisa from her four iron pegs, entered the stairwell, removed the painting's2:06
frame and hurried down the steps.2:20
Then he unlocked the door and escaped from the museum.2:22
Peruggia hid the painting in his small Paris flat, where it remained in a cupboard for over two years.2:26
Later, Peruggia took the Mona Lisa to Florence, Italy, and attempted to sell.2:32
Was there, back in the Mona Lisa's hometown, that the police finally caught Perugia.2:38
Peruggia served a short prison sentence.2:44
He then went back to France and opened a paint shop in Haute Savoy and the Mona Lisa.2:47
After touring her Italian homeland, she returned to the Louvre Museum, where she resides to this day behind bulletproof glass, still smiling.2:53
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