The Theft That Made The Mona Lisa A Masterpiece

Hard to believe but before the Mona Lisa was stolen, it was viewed as a fine example of Italian Renaissance Art- especially by the intelligentsia and some of the artists in Paris. Others, if they even went into the Louvre, may have likely walked past it or given it a quick look. It was tucked away in a gallery amongst many other paintings.In 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen. In part due to its relatively diminutive size, which made it much easier to abscond into the streets of Paris.For two years, the painting was missing. The newspapers in Europe and then North America were awash with stories of the theft, the bungling of the security, and almost any other thing the papers could come up with to feed the frenzy of the public.In 1913, it was recovered and the thief caught, which started the stories up to a new frenzy and new heights of story telling.Only the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and later, the beginnings and rumblings regarding WW1 could keep the Mona Lisa out of the papers.