00:00Did you know the Mona Lisa, the world's most iconic painting that you see everywhere today,
00:07was once stolen. On August 21st, 1911, Vincenzo Perugia, a handyman disguised as a museum worker,
00:15stole it from the Louvre in Paris, that big museum in the capital of France. So Perugia hid
00:22overnight, slipped the painting out of its frame, covered it with a sheet and simply walked out.
00:27The theft was not even noticed for nearly 28 hours. Later, crowds flocked to the museum,
00:33just to stare at the empty spot where the Mona Lisa once hung.
00:40The disappearance of Leonardo's famous artwork led to shock and curiosity worldwide. The
00:45investigation was huge as expected, police scarred Europe and even Pablo Picasso was interrogated.
00:51Meanwhile, the Mona Lisa was chilling in Perugia's Paris apartment, just two miles away from the museum.
00:57Perugia claimed he was a patriot, returning Leonardo's masterpiece to Italy. It was 1913,
01:02he tried selling it even and got caught and later served just seven months in prison. But here's the
01:07fun fact, before the theft, the Mona Lisa was admired, but did not have superstar status. After
01:12the highest however, it exploded into pop culture, reproduced endlessly on postcards, leaflets, magazines,
01:18and newspapers. That's when she became the world's most recognizable face. Today,
01:23millions flock to the Louvre, even from India. Glimpse of this tiny 30 by 21 inch portrait,
01:28weighing just 18 pounds, the $850 million treasure now sits behind 150 pounds of bulletproof glass.
01:35So, what makes a special? Leonardo's sfumato technique or that mysterious smile that puzzled the world
01:40for centuries. I'm Manisha Dikari. Thank you for watching The Culture Project on MOH.
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