Peruggia came to Paris in search of a life in art, even if it was only as a part-time worker in the Louvre. Most likely, Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa single-handed, largely because she was small. The Mona Lisa is, of course, a great work of art by a revered artist, Leonardo de Vinci, but his skills are not actually what made the painting famous. Peruggia had briefly worked in the Louvre. But nobody knew who the thief was, nor how he would profit from his haul. He worked with a number of expensive and beautiful paintings at the Louvre and other museums. His reason for the theft? "I fell in love with her," Peruggia said from jail, repeating the romantic cliché. After the war, Pietro Peruggia married, moved back to France, opened his own paint store, and lived in obscurity with his family until his death in 1925. August 1911. He was a tiny man, 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with a waxed moustache. Peruggia tried to remove the doorknob, but he was still not able to open the door until a plumber that was passing by opened the door with his key. He served in the Italian army during World War I and eventually moved back to France where he owned a paint shop until his death in 1925. So, why swipe the Mona Lisa? That he never received that reward may have been the worst penalty for his crime. Roger-Viollet/Getty ImagesPeople gather around the Mona Lisa in Paris on January 4, 1914, the day of its return. Police theorized that he had hidden in the museum the night before and came out once the museum had closed for the day. Paintings in the Louvre often disappeared briefly. The Mona Lisa had spent two years mostly on his kitchen table. Employees and ex-employees were interrogated and fingerprinted — a newfangled technique in 1911 — but nobody's print matched the thief's. The Mona Lisa is quite possibly the most well-known piece of painted artwork in the entire world.It was painted by the Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16 th century and was commissioned by Francesco Del Giocondo. Its myth stems, in part, from the story of its theft and return. Then, have a look at the nude Monna Vanna sketch that may have been Leonardo da Vinci’s precursor to the Mona Lisa. Today, the Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world, and attracts around 10 million visitors to the Paris museum every year. Much rejoicing accompanied Mona Lisa’s return to Paris, while Peruggia became something of a hero to the Italian people, receiving love letters and cakes from female fans whilst in prison. Sadly, when Medeiros’ research unearths Peruggia’s letters that the police had taken as evidence, those letters reveal that Peruggia stole the Mona for the usual reasons—money and fame. It was such an inconceivable crime, that the Mona Lisa wasn't even noticed missing until the following day. December 1913. Florence. There seems to be a problem, please try again. A century later, the time has come to take it back. What Peruggia really stole from the world may be the chance at that authentic, unfiltered look at da Vinci’s portrait. He suffered from lead poisoning. He was a house painter-cum-glazier. Critics had pointed out the lack of security, but the museum had taken only a few eccentric corrective measures: teaching the elderly guards judo, for instance. During those two years, Mona-mania gripped Europe, ginning up the painting’s cultural cache. His one stumble was finding the door to his escape locked. Peruggia war davon überzeugt, dass die Mona Lisa in ihre italienische „Heimat“ gehöre und daher zurückgebracht werden müsse. It wears a mask. Bettmann/CORBIS. But even before the Mona Lisa disappeared, it was more than a painting. Peruggia received a sentence of one year and 15 days in jail. On the morning of Monday, August 21, 1911, Peruggia walked unnoticed out of the Louvre with the Mona Lisa hidden under his smock. Neither do we. Meteorologists propose a stunning new explanation for the mysterious events in the Bermuda Triangle. The Louvre was closed on Mondays. It wasn't fixed to the wall. The Mona Lisa just might be the most recognizable face on Earth. People gather around the Mona Lisa in Paris on January 4, 1914, the day of its return. Peruggia wasn’t an unusual face in the museum. They went up to Room 20 on the third floor. "

Set and costume designers can influence color palettes by sticking to certain palettes. Medeiros enlists the help of Peruggia’s descendants, including his daughter and grandchildren, to track down the truth—whether it be the often-invoked patriotism motive or a more nefarious profit motive.