Theft of the Mona Lisa

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On the morning of Aug. 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The theft wasn’t noticed until the next day. Once discovered, the Louvre was shut down for nine days, the French border was sealed, and departing ships and trains searched. Thousands of people lined up at the Louvre just to see the empty spot where the painting once hung. Over two years later, the thief was found – Vincenzo Peruggia,  an Italian house painter and carpenter living in France who had once worked at the Louvre.