On the morning of August 21, 1911, the _Mona Lisa_ was stolen  from the Louvre.  The museum was shut down and the French border was  closed to all attempting to enter or exit the country.  The museum  reopened nine days later.  During this time thousands upon thousands of   visitors came to see the empty spot where the painting had hung \[1\].   It is hard to imagine the empty wall space of any other painting drawing  this much attention.  Interestingly, the _Mona Lisa_ had become even more famous in its absence.

The theft of the painting originally caused such a stir that several  significant figures were called into question, including Guillaume  Apollinaire, the famous poet, and Pablo Picasso. \[1\] About two years  later the actual thief was discovered, when an attempted sale was made  to the Uffizi gallery in Florence.  The thief turned out to be Louvre  employee, Vincenzo Peruggia.  He had apparently been able to steal the  painting by hiding in a closet, removing it during after hours, and  walking away with it tucked under his coat.  Peruggia believed that the  painting was rightful Italian property and should remain in his home  country. \[1\]

Before its theft, the _Mona Lisa_ was a well loved painting  receiving daily fan mail, but afterward, its fame skyrocketed.  R.A.  Scotti puts it best in her book, +Vanished Smile:+ +The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa+, "_Mona Lisa_ left the Louvre a work of art.  She returned an icon." \[2\].

In fact, the symbolic value and political significance of the _Mona Lisa_ has increased to the point where it has been targeted in several  attacks.  In 1956, the painting was doused with acid.  Later that year, a  man threw a rock at it.  The painting was eventually covered in  bulletproof glass for protection. In 1974 a handicapped woman, upset by  the museum's policies for the disabled, sprayed red paint at the  painting while it was on loan at the Tokyo National Museum \[6\].  In  2009, a Russian woman hurled a ceramic mug at the painting, frustrated  that she was unable to obtain French citizenship \[3\].  I cannot help but  think back to Robert Hughes' comment in _The Mona Lisa Curse_, where he laments that the painting has become so famous it has lost meaning.  Is the _Mona Lisa_ forever fated to be a symbol?

\[1\] [http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1894006,00.html|http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1894006,00.html]

\[2\] [http://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Smile-Mysterious-Theft-Mona/dp/0307265803|http://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Smile-Mysterious-Theft-Mona/dp/0307265803]

\[3\] [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/mona-lisa-attacked-with-teacup/|http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/mona-lisa-attacked-with-teacup/]

\[4\] [http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1680&bih=872&tbm=isch&tbnid=MpDQOLsYh1Pf4M:&imgrefurl=http://hastac.org/blogs/ernesto-priego/2011/08/19/famous-picture-stolen-paris-originality-absence&docid=gO9aTp3dGIte9M&imgurl=http://hastac.org/files/mona_lisa_stolen-1911.jpg&w=308&h=287&ei=fN4ST5iWHsrl0QG53pyfAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=363&sig=107065817656893031348&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=174&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=107&ty=83|http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1680&bih=872&tbm=isch&tbnid=MpDQOLsYh1Pf4M:&imgrefurl=http://hastac.org/blogs/ernesto-priego/2011/08/19/famous-picture-stolen-paris-originality-absence&docid=gO9aTp3dGIte9M&imgurl=http://hastac.org/files/mona_lisa_stolen-1911.jpg&w=308&h=287&ei=fN4ST5iWHsrl0QG53pyfAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=363&sig=107065817656893031348&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=174&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=107&ty=83]

\[5\] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/sle/25395098/|http://www.flickr.com/photos/sle/25395098/]