How many times has the Mona Lisa been stolen?
Answer
Once
The Mona Lisa has been stolen once. The theft occurred on 21 August 1911, when Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia removed the painting and carried it out of the museum. He believed Leonardo’s work belonged in Italy, although he was eventually arrested while trying to sell it in Florence.
The painting remained hidden in Peruggia’s apartment for about two years. Its disappearance triggered an international investigation, and even Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire briefly came under suspicion before being cleared. The Mona Lisa returned to the Louvre in January 1914 after being exhibited in Italy.
People sometimes count later attacks, attempted thefts, or wartime evacuations as additional thefts. Those incidents are different: the painting was attacked several times and moved for safekeeping during World War II, but the 1911 incident is its only completed theft.