ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Lisa Gherardini had hung in the Louvre since the French Revolution, admired quietly by artists but not yet the world's most famous painting; security at the museum in 1911 was loose enough that staff sometimes moved frames for photography without strict logs.
What happened
On August 21, 1911, former Louvre handyman Vincenzo Peruggia hid in a closet overnight and walked out with the Mona Lisa under his coat, sparking a two-year international mystery covered by newspapers from Paris to Buenos Aires.
Why it still matters
Italian police recovered the painting in Florence in December 1913 after Peruggia tried to sell it as patrimony reclaimed for Italy; the theft's publicity turned the enigmatic smile into a global celebrity and led the Louvre to modernize its security.
Background
It was recovered in Florence in 1913.