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Tonight, the most famous
painting in the world
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stolen in a brazen heist.
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Everyone wants to know
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how a Leonardo da
Vinci masterpiece
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could simply disappear from
the wall of the Louvre.
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She's hanging on
the wall at 7:00 AM
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and by 8:30 she's just
gone without a trace.
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A renowned detective
swings into action.
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Louis Lépine is like the
French Sherlock Holmes.
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If there's anyone who can
crack this case, it's him.
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Sure enough, when they
dust the glass for prints,
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something turns up.
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The hunt is on for
this priceless portrait,
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but more than one suspect
seems to have a motive.
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He and his fellow robber
barons spend their fortunes
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amassing the finest art
of Europe's history.
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Pablo Picasso was
the perfect suspect.
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The incriminating evidence
was painted into his work.
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Now we'll explore
the top theories
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in the two-year investigation
for the missing masterpiece.
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Police are on the
search for a genius thief
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from the higher
echelons of society.
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Nothing about
this case played out
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like the public expected.
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Who stole the Mona Lisa?
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On Tuesday, August
22, 1911, around 9:00 AM,
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artist Louis Beroud
arrives at the Louvre
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and makes his way to one of
the museum's most famous rooms,
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the Salon Carré.
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Beroud makes his living
copying the old masters.
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Today he's working on a painting
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that features
Leonardo da Vinci's
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400-year-old masterpiece,
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La Joconde, known to English
speakers as the Mona Lisa.
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The woman in the painting
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most likely represents
Lisa Gherardini.
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She is the wife of a prosperous
Florentine wool merchant
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named Francesco del Giocondo.
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Leonardo begins her portrait
in approximately 1503.
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Art historians believe
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that it was da Vinci's
favorite painting.
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Leonardo da Vinci dies
in 1519 in France,
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and the king of
France, Francis I,
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buys it from da Vinci's estate.
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And then a couple
centuries later in 1797,
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the Louvre, which had
been a royal palace,
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is converted into the world's
largest museum at the time,
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and that is where the
Mona Lisa remains today.
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By 1911, the Mona Lisa
is not the most famous
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or the most expensive
painting in the Louvre,
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but there's something unique
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and mesmerizing about
the smile of La Joconde.
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It's what draws Beroud
to be so excited
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about including it
in his latest work.
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But when he gets to the Salon
Carré on that Tuesday morning,
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he's in for a huge surprise.
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Instead of
seeing that familiar face
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looking back at him,
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Beroud sees only a
blank stretch of wall
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and four empty pegs.
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He expresses his concern
with this missing painting,
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but the guard reassures him
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that there's nothing
to worry about,
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that the painting has
undoubtedly been taken
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by one of the museum
curators to be photographed
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and cataloged for the museum.
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And so he checks in with
the photography department
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and makes a grave discovery.
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Le Joconde was never taken
off the wall for that purpose.
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Turns out she's been stolen.
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Panic
ensues at the Louvre
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and the museum reaches
out to the chief
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of the Paris Police for help.
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His name is Louis Lépine.
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Louis Lépine is like the
French Sherlock Holmes,
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a master of deduction.
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If there's anyone who
can crack this case,
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it's Louis Lépine.
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Lépine and his army of
men arrive under two hours
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after discovery that
the painting is missing.
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They shut the museum down
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under the guise of
a broken water pipe
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and launch an
investigation for any clues
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as to what could have
happened to the painting.
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After
an hour of searching,
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police finally
uncover some evidence:
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Mona Lisa's heavy frame
and protective glass casing
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have been discarded
in the dark corner
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of a service stairwell.
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What they deduce
is that the thief
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must have lifted it off the wall
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and then kind of scurried away
into one of these stairwells,
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stripped off the
covering and the frame
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and discarded it and
made off with it.
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If you were stealing a
painting that was on canvas,
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for example, you could
take it out of its frame
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and roll it up, potentially
hide it inside a cloak.
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But the Mona Lisa is painted
on a white poplar panel.
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It has a heavy
Renaissance-style frame.
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It's 21 by 30 inches wide.
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So with its protective frame,
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the actual Mona Lisa
weighs 90 pounds.
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You can't stick it under
your coat and walk out.
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One of the police
officers notices right away
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that there is a doorknob missing
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from this door in the stairwell.
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They assume that this is the way
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that the thief got out of the
building with the Mona Lisa.
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Unfortunately,
Lépine soon discovers
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that whoever stole the
painting has quite a headstart.
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The museum's maintenance
supervisor says
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the previous day on Monday,
when the museum was closed,
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he was walking through
the Salon Carré
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and saw the Mona Lisa
hanging in her usual spot
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around 7:00 AM.
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By 8:30 AM, when he returned,
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the painting was
not there anymore.
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At the time, this
didn't raise any alarms.
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He also assumed
that the painting
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was probably being photographed.
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So Lépine is pretty upset
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because at this point
the thief could be
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at least 24 hours ahead of them.
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Within hours
of the theft's discovery,
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the story breaks
in the Paris press
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and news services
from around the world
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begin converging on the Louvre.
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Officers take to the streets
in search of witnesses.
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They're in luck.
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The police begin
questioning businesses
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that are around the Louvre,
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and a department store
employee describes seeing
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a man with a bulky
package under his arm.
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He also says he saw
the man toss something
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into the Louvre gardens.
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So they send police to
go look in the bushes.
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Lo and behold, what did
they find? The doorknob.
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The first eye witness says
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that he saw someone carrying
a package under his arm.
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This was a middle aged man of
trim build and average height,
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clean-shaven.
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The second eye witness, however,
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saw someone at the train station
carrying a bulky package,
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but this person is revealed
as a tall, heavy-set gentleman
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with a big mustache.
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Two competing ideas of what
the perpetrator looks like.
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So Lépine sets up roadblocks
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and starts
investigating every car
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and truck leaving the city,
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all the way to the
borders of France,
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but nothing is coming up.
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Lépine has done
everything that he could.
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One thing that he does know is
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that the frame when
discarded is not marked up.
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So clearly the painting
had been removed
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by someone that knew
what they were doing.
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So Lépine realizes that
whoever stole the Mona Lisa
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has real experience handling
fine art and working with it.
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He begins to suspect that
the theft of the Mona Lisa
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is an inside job.
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Lépine decides to
set up an experiment.
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He has a replica of
the Mona Lisa made
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and hung on the four
pegs on the wall
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where the original
would've stood.
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And first he has a couple
of his police officers
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try to remove the painting
and exit the building.
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As the police officers
went in and began fumbling
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and trying to remove the
painting from the wall,
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Lépine kept time
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and it ended up taking
about five minutes
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for the two police officers
to get the wires adjusted
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and remove the painting
and exit the building.
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He then asks a museum
employee to do the same thing.
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That museum employee very
skillfully removes the wires
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and has it off the
wall in seconds.
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This experiment
confirms to Lépine
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that the thief isn't just
knowledgeable about museum work.
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They also know the
Louvre intimately.
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Though the Louvre is closed
to the public on Monday,
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it is still a workday
for much of the staff.
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Lépine, thorough as ever,
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requests a full
list of everybody
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who had access to the
museum on that day
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and who came in and out.
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Nobody is above suspicion.
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As Lépine's investigators go
through this cadre of people,
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they come across the plumber
by the name of Sauve.
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Sauve happened to be
in the very stairwell
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where the painting frame was
recovered on that morning.
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Sauve says that he encountered
somebody by this back door
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who asked to be let out
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because the doorknob had
been removed from the door.
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This person, whoever it was,
was wearing the white smock
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that all members of
the Louvre staff wore.
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So Sauve's impression was that
this was a museum employee
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who got locked inside.
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So he said, "No big
deal, I'll let you out."
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Sauve says he
didn't see the frame
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or the glass on the floor
or any large object,
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but he does admit
that it's possible
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the man could have had it
hidden under his smock.
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The pressure on
Lépine is already intense,
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but fortunately,
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the renowned detective has
a cutting-edge technique
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at his disposal.
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Lépine was a forward-thinking
police commander.
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In fact, in Paris, he
was one of the first
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to start examining fingerprints.
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Lépine brings in an expert
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to analyze the frame
and the glass looking
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for any telltale sign of
fingerprinting or smudging.
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After examining the frame,
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he finds a fingerprint halfway
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up the left side of the glass.
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He applies a fine
graphite powder
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and he's able to actually
lift the fingerprint
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off the frame.
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Lépine and his men
compare the fingerprint
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that's found on the glass case
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to the fingerprints
of the Louvre staff.
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256 staff members who were there
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between Sunday evening
and Tuesday morning.
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That takes a long time.
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Determined
to uncover a lead,
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Lépine also orders
interrogations
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of all the museum's employees,
including Sauve, the plumber.
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Sauve is asked to look at
a couple hundred photographs
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of Louvre staff,
employees, contractors.
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He doesn't recognize the man
he saw in the service stairwell
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among any of those photographs.
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Meanwhile, news of the
disappearance of the Mona Lisa
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has reached the press and
there is public fury over this.
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Why hasn't this priceless
painting been found?
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In the days following
the Mona Lisa theft,
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police interrogations
of museum employees
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lead to a dead end.
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But Paris detective Louis Lépine
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still believes it
was an inside job
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and continues questioning staff.
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For many in the media, Lépine's
process isn't fast enough.
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The press is going crazy:
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The Mona Lisa is a national
treasure that has been stolen.
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And Lépine, who is this
world-famous detective,
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doesn't seem to be
able to solve this.
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So the papers start really
taking him to task for this.
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On the one hand, you have
the official investigation
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happening within the
Paris Police department,
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but then you start
seeing the media
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start doing their own sleuthing.
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A wire story
coming out of the United States
251
00:12:20,708 --> 00:12:23,375
turns the spotlight
on a new suspect.
252
00:12:24,375 --> 00:12:25,999
His name is Eddie Guerin,
253
00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,041
a notorious thief
with a huge rap sheet
254
00:12:29,042 --> 00:12:31,125
on both sides of the Atlantic.
255
00:12:32,542 --> 00:12:36,999
He is a guy who is known
for committing big crimes
256
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,541
and for getting away with it.
257
00:12:39,542 --> 00:12:41,624
He's been a huge critic
of the French government
258
00:12:41,625 --> 00:12:43,291
and according to one friend,
259
00:12:43,292 --> 00:12:46,207
he's even confessed
to the crime.
260
00:12:53,792 --> 00:12:56,166
The theory was a little
convoluted as reported,
261
00:12:56,167 --> 00:12:58,707
but the idea was that
Guerin had promised
262
00:12:58,708 --> 00:13:00,624
this wealthy
Philadelphia businessman
263
00:13:00,625 --> 00:13:04,207
that for a million dollars he
would sell him the Mona Lisa.
264
00:13:04,208 --> 00:13:05,791
And such
a claim would not be
265
00:13:05,792 --> 00:13:07,749
out of character for Guerin,
266
00:13:07,750 --> 00:13:09,791
who pulled off
some daring heists
267
00:13:09,792 --> 00:13:13,000
and became a career
criminal at a young age.
268
00:13:14,167 --> 00:13:17,541
Eddie Guerin is born
in 1860 in London,
269
00:13:17,542 --> 00:13:22,124
but his family moves to Chicago
when he's at a young age
270
00:13:22,125 --> 00:13:25,457
with the dream of
striking it rich,
271
00:13:25,458 --> 00:13:30,374
but his father dies and his
mother is left to struggle.
272
00:13:30,375 --> 00:13:33,874
So Eddie gets his first
job delivering telegrams,
273
00:13:33,875 --> 00:13:35,624
and he realizes
that's a good way
274
00:13:35,625 --> 00:13:37,791
to start picking up little items
275
00:13:37,792 --> 00:13:40,082
that people maybe
don't know are missing.
276
00:13:40,083 --> 00:13:43,207
And he eventually builds up
to bigger and bigger thefts.
277
00:13:43,208 --> 00:13:45,458
And before long, he's
already doing time.
278
00:13:47,042 --> 00:13:50,541
By age 16, Guerin is in
and out of detention centers.
279
00:13:50,542 --> 00:13:53,582
This kid has become a
thief in his own right,
280
00:13:53,583 --> 00:13:54,999
but more importantly,
281
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,624
each time he goes to one
of those prison settings,
282
00:13:57,625 --> 00:14:00,916
he learns the craft
from the experts.
283
00:14:00,917 --> 00:14:02,166
Soon after Guerin
284
00:14:02,167 --> 00:14:04,541
hones his thieving
skills behind bars,
285
00:14:04,542 --> 00:14:06,249
his crimes evolve
286
00:14:06,250 --> 00:14:09,082
into high profile
thefts around the world,
287
00:14:09,083 --> 00:14:11,207
making him a prime candidate
288
00:14:11,208 --> 00:14:14,124
in the case of the
missing Mona Lisa.
289
00:14:14,125 --> 00:14:16,124
By the time he's
in his early 20s,
290
00:14:16,125 --> 00:14:18,124
he's traveled all
over the East Coast
291
00:14:18,125 --> 00:14:19,707
and also throughout Europe,
292
00:14:19,708 --> 00:14:21,041
pulling off bank robberies
293
00:14:21,042 --> 00:14:23,207
with a bunch of
criminal associates.
294
00:14:23,208 --> 00:14:26,916
In 1888, in France, he had
robbed the Credit Lyonnais bank
295
00:14:26,917 --> 00:14:29,999
to the tune of $2
million in today's money.
296
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,457
And in 1901, he robbed the
American Express office in Paris
297
00:14:33,458 --> 00:14:36,500
to the tune of $8
million in today's money.
298
00:14:38,042 --> 00:14:40,332
When he's
finally caught and convicted,
299
00:14:40,333 --> 00:14:43,958
French authorities sentence
him to life on Devil's Island.
300
00:14:45,292 --> 00:14:48,207
Devil's Island is a really
treacherous penal colony
301
00:14:48,208 --> 00:14:51,582
off the coast of French
Guiana in South America,
302
00:14:51,583 --> 00:14:54,124
and it's a place where
conditions are so bad
303
00:14:54,125 --> 00:14:57,875
that life sentences usually
don't last that long.
304
00:14:59,167 --> 00:15:03,707
Incredibly, in 1905, Eddie
Guerin becomes the second
305
00:15:03,708 --> 00:15:08,457
of only two people ever to
escape from Devil's Island,
306
00:15:08,458 --> 00:15:12,416
and he does so by carving
out from a log a boat
307
00:15:12,417 --> 00:15:17,125
which he paddles 200 miles from
Devil's Island to the coast.
308
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,749
Once he gets to French Guiana,
309
00:15:19,750 --> 00:15:21,374
he bribes a government agent
310
00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:22,874
to help get him
out of the country.
311
00:15:22,875 --> 00:15:25,749
So Eddie Guerin becomes
the stuff of legend
312
00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:27,541
around the world.
313
00:15:27,542 --> 00:15:30,332
After Guerin's escape
from Devil's Island,
314
00:15:30,333 --> 00:15:33,291
he fades out of the
news for a while,
315
00:15:33,292 --> 00:15:36,999
but after this audacious
theft of the Mona Lisa,
316
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,917
his name suddenly bubbles
back up to the surface.
317
00:15:42,125 --> 00:15:45,207
On
August 24th, 1911,
318
00:15:45,208 --> 00:15:48,541
newspapers all over the
United States run a story
319
00:15:48,542 --> 00:15:51,541
that points the finger
squarely at Guerin.
320
00:15:51,542 --> 00:15:55,041
A rumor circulates that
Guerin has had a forgery
321
00:15:55,042 --> 00:15:57,874
of the Mona Lisa made
that he plans to sell
322
00:15:57,875 --> 00:16:00,874
to a wealthy
Philadelphia businessman,
323
00:16:00,875 --> 00:16:03,791
but when the businessman
begins to suspect
324
00:16:03,792 --> 00:16:06,082
that something fishy
might be going on,
325
00:16:06,083 --> 00:16:07,541
Guerin has no choice
326
00:16:07,542 --> 00:16:10,542
but to break into the Louvre
and steal the real thing.
327
00:16:12,292 --> 00:16:14,124
In an interesting
twist to this story,
328
00:16:14,125 --> 00:16:15,374
that government agent
329
00:16:15,375 --> 00:16:17,957
that helped Guerin
escape Devil's Island
330
00:16:17,958 --> 00:16:21,957
later reports that he actually
received a letter from Guerin
331
00:16:21,958 --> 00:16:24,832
days before the theft
of the Mona Lisa,
332
00:16:24,833 --> 00:16:26,167
in which Guerin says,
333
00:16:26,333 --> 00:16:29,624
"I am going to take something
from the French government
334
00:16:29,625 --> 00:16:31,749
that they'll never get back,"
335
00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:33,249
indicating that this would be an
336
00:16:33,250 --> 00:16:36,041
incredibly satisfying
moment for him
337
00:16:36,042 --> 00:16:38,625
to punish the government
that had punished him.
338
00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:44,249
The French public is following
this story of Eddie Guerin
339
00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:47,457
and his purported connection
to the theft of the Mona Lisa,
340
00:16:47,458 --> 00:16:50,541
and each day it sells
more and more newspapers
341
00:16:50,542 --> 00:16:54,874
because everyone wants to
know what happened next.
342
00:16:54,875 --> 00:16:57,249
So an investigator
tries to find Guerin,
343
00:16:57,250 --> 00:16:59,541
and eventually does.
344
00:16:59,542 --> 00:17:02,582
He's working in London,
he's gone straight,
345
00:17:02,583 --> 00:17:05,166
and he's working in a
men's furnishing store.
346
00:17:05,167 --> 00:17:08,166
His alibi seems pretty solid,
347
00:17:08,167 --> 00:17:10,457
but Guerin's a sneaky character.
348
00:17:10,458 --> 00:17:13,707
It's possible he could
have spent all this time
349
00:17:13,708 --> 00:17:17,457
building up an alibi so that
he could sneak into France
350
00:17:17,458 --> 00:17:19,667
and sneak back without
anybody noticing.
351
00:17:24,167 --> 00:17:25,707
On
Tuesday, August 29th,
352
00:17:25,708 --> 00:17:28,582
exactly one week after the
Mona Lisa was declared missing,
353
00:17:28,583 --> 00:17:31,916
the Louvre reopens
to an enormous crowd.
354
00:17:31,917 --> 00:17:34,332
Thousands of people
swarmed the museum
355
00:17:34,333 --> 00:17:38,332
and head to the Salon Carré
to stare at the vacant wall
356
00:17:38,333 --> 00:17:40,374
where the painting once hung.
357
00:17:40,375 --> 00:17:42,749
They weep openly
in front of it,
358
00:17:42,750 --> 00:17:45,207
people bring
flowers and letters.
359
00:17:45,208 --> 00:17:46,166
It's a mob scene.
360
00:17:47,583 --> 00:17:48,707
Up until the heist,
361
00:17:48,708 --> 00:17:51,374
the Mona Lisa was best
known among art critics
362
00:17:51,375 --> 00:17:53,624
and kind of insiders
in the museum world,
363
00:17:53,625 --> 00:17:56,957
but this heist made her an
international superstar.
364
00:17:56,958 --> 00:17:58,957
People who in a million years
365
00:17:58,958 --> 00:18:02,166
would've never visited a museum,
366
00:18:02,167 --> 00:18:05,042
are there to see the
site of the crime.
367
00:18:06,542 --> 00:18:07,957
In the
wake of the theft,
368
00:18:07,958 --> 00:18:09,541
the floundering investigation
369
00:18:09,542 --> 00:18:11,707
is becoming a public
embarrassment
370
00:18:11,708 --> 00:18:13,000
for the Paris Police,
371
00:18:13,167 --> 00:18:16,374
and Detective Lépine is
running out of suspects.
372
00:18:16,375 --> 00:18:18,791
The newspaper,
the "Paris-Journal,"
373
00:18:18,792 --> 00:18:21,374
announces its own investigation
374
00:18:21,375 --> 00:18:24,707
and says that it will
give 50,000 francs,
375
00:18:24,708 --> 00:18:27,624
which is nearly $2
million in today's money,
376
00:18:27,625 --> 00:18:31,582
to whoever returns the
Mona Lisa to their offices.
377
00:18:31,583 --> 00:18:33,541
No questions asked.
378
00:18:33,542 --> 00:18:35,416
The news
of this reward
379
00:18:35,417 --> 00:18:37,166
for the return of the Mona Lisa
380
00:18:37,167 --> 00:18:39,791
brings a lot of people
out of the woodwork
381
00:18:39,792 --> 00:18:44,750
and suddenly the newspaper
offices are flooded with tips
382
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:47,667
that might lead them
to the Mona Lisa.
383
00:18:48,875 --> 00:18:51,541
The same day
that the museum reopens,
384
00:18:51,542 --> 00:18:54,541
the Paris-Journal runs a
shocking front page story
385
00:18:54,542 --> 00:18:57,832
about a brazen thief who
responded to their request
386
00:18:57,833 --> 00:18:59,707
for the Mona Lisa's return.
387
00:18:59,708 --> 00:19:02,374
This man described
as "in his early 20s
388
00:19:02,375 --> 00:19:04,416
and with a certain American
chic."
389
00:19:04,417 --> 00:19:06,624
Admits in an anonymous letter
390
00:19:06,625 --> 00:19:09,291
that he has been stealing
priceless artifacts
391
00:19:09,292 --> 00:19:11,666
from the museum for
the last four years,
392
00:19:11,667 --> 00:19:14,749
including ancient busts.
393
00:19:14,750 --> 00:19:17,541
Now, the letter writer doesn't
say he has the Mona Lisa,
394
00:19:17,542 --> 00:19:19,957
but he does say he's willing
to return some of these busts.
395
00:19:19,958 --> 00:19:22,916
So to exchange for what is
about a thousand dollars a day,
396
00:19:22,917 --> 00:19:24,957
the thief returns a small statue
397
00:19:24,958 --> 00:19:27,582
and makes a full
confession to the paper.
398
00:19:27,583 --> 00:19:31,874
The paper publishes
his confession verbatim:
399
00:19:31,875 --> 00:19:34,207
It was March, 1907 that
I entered the Louvre
400
00:19:34,208 --> 00:19:35,749
for the first time,
401
00:19:35,750 --> 00:19:38,207
a young man with time to
kill and no money to spend.
402
00:19:38,208 --> 00:19:40,374
A single guard was
sitting motionless.
403
00:19:40,375 --> 00:19:42,832
I suddenly realized
how easy it would be
404
00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:47,667
to pick up and take away almost
any object of moderate size.
405
00:19:49,042 --> 00:19:50,624
The thief
goes on to detail
406
00:19:50,625 --> 00:19:54,124
a number of other objects
he's stolen over the years,
407
00:19:54,125 --> 00:19:56,374
including a pair
of Iberian busts
408
00:19:56,375 --> 00:19:58,874
he sold to a friend
in the art world.
409
00:19:58,875 --> 00:20:02,416
This guy is bragging about
lifting stuff from the Louvre
410
00:20:02,417 --> 00:20:05,749
just like someone would
collect shells from the beach.
411
00:20:05,750 --> 00:20:08,791
Because this anonymous
letter writer talks
412
00:20:08,792 --> 00:20:12,041
so openly about how easy
it is to steal things
413
00:20:12,042 --> 00:20:13,624
from the Louvre,
414
00:20:13,625 --> 00:20:17,374
the public begins to wonder
if this person is the same one
415
00:20:17,375 --> 00:20:18,917
who took the Mona Lisa.
416
00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:28,082
The next day, on August 30th,
417
00:20:28,083 --> 00:20:31,916
the paper reports on a second
encounter with the thief
418
00:20:31,917 --> 00:20:36,124
and he writes in a letter that
he's not a career criminal.
419
00:20:36,125 --> 00:20:37,541
He just wandered into this life
420
00:20:37,542 --> 00:20:39,541
because of financial
difficulties,
421
00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:43,583
and he signs the letter
Baron Ignace Dormeson.
422
00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:46,707
That same day,
423
00:20:46,708 --> 00:20:48,707
the bust he turned
over is authenticated
424
00:20:48,708 --> 00:20:52,791
and put on display in the
"Paris-Journal's" front window.
425
00:20:52,792 --> 00:20:56,874
Hundreds of people jammed the
paper's office for a glimpse.
426
00:20:56,875 --> 00:20:58,457
The Louvre confirms
427
00:20:58,458 --> 00:21:01,957
that these small
prehistoric carved bust
428
00:21:01,958 --> 00:21:05,749
from the Iberian Peninsula
are indeed missing
429
00:21:05,750 --> 00:21:07,457
from their collection.
430
00:21:07,458 --> 00:21:10,874
Now there's added pressure
to have these new objects
431
00:21:10,875 --> 00:21:13,332
returned to the Louvre as well.
432
00:21:13,333 --> 00:21:15,374
So this so-called
433
00:21:15,375 --> 00:21:17,624
becomes a public spectacle.
434
00:21:17,625 --> 00:21:20,249
Could this be connected
to the Mona Lisa as well?
435
00:21:20,250 --> 00:21:22,124
And the paper runs with this.
436
00:21:22,125 --> 00:21:23,999
People are eating it up,
437
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,457
and they are ridiculing
the museum and the police
438
00:21:27,458 --> 00:21:29,874
because the paper is
doing more than the police
439
00:21:29,875 --> 00:21:31,666
in their eyes.
440
00:21:33,583 --> 00:21:36,207
Lépine and
his men are not amused.
441
00:21:36,208 --> 00:21:38,041
They're convinced the
thief could now be
442
00:21:38,042 --> 00:21:41,374
smuggling the Mona Lisa
out of the country.
443
00:21:41,375 --> 00:21:44,791
Officers from the Paris
Police bust into the offices
444
00:21:44,792 --> 00:21:46,041
of the "Paris-Journal"
445
00:21:46,042 --> 00:21:49,166
and they tell them to reveal
anything that they know
446
00:21:49,167 --> 00:21:51,249
about the man who
sent these letters,
447
00:21:51,250 --> 00:21:52,916
but citing professional ethics,
448
00:21:52,917 --> 00:21:56,332
the arts editor refuses
to reveal their sources,
449
00:21:56,333 --> 00:21:59,749
and this only further
frustrates investigators.
450
00:21:59,750 --> 00:22:02,041
The police carry
out their own search
451
00:22:02,042 --> 00:22:03,249
of the public records
452
00:22:03,250 --> 00:22:07,666
to find any reference to
a Baron Ignace Dormeson.
453
00:22:07,667 --> 00:22:09,874
There's no one in
France by that name,
454
00:22:09,875 --> 00:22:12,916
but they find out
that it is the name
455
00:22:12,917 --> 00:22:15,041
of a fictional character
456
00:22:15,042 --> 00:22:19,832
in an award-winning collection
of stories in France.
457
00:22:19,833 --> 00:22:22,499
As for the man
who wrote those stories,
458
00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:26,624
he is celebrated writer
Guillaume Apollinaire.
459
00:22:26,625 --> 00:22:29,499
Apollinaire is a
true renaissance man.
460
00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:32,457
He's a poet, a
playwright, an art critic,
461
00:22:32,458 --> 00:22:36,916
and he's even credited with
coining the term surrealism.
462
00:22:36,917 --> 00:22:38,041
He was born in Italy
463
00:22:38,042 --> 00:22:40,707
and grew up speaking
French, Italian and Polish,
464
00:22:40,708 --> 00:22:43,374
and he emigrated to
France as a teenager
465
00:22:43,375 --> 00:22:45,958
where he took up the
pen name Apollinaire.
466
00:22:47,375 --> 00:22:49,374
The authorities start
to look a lot more closely
467
00:22:49,375 --> 00:22:51,707
at Apollinaire's
background and his writing,
468
00:22:51,708 --> 00:22:54,541
and they realized that just
three days after the theft,
469
00:22:54,542 --> 00:22:58,082
he had written about how
beautiful the Mona Lisa was
470
00:22:58,083 --> 00:23:00,207
and was condemning the Louvre.
471
00:23:00,208 --> 00:23:01,916
The Mona Lisa was so beautiful
472
00:23:01,917 --> 00:23:04,832
that her perfection has come
to be taken for granted:
473
00:23:04,833 --> 00:23:06,457
But what shall we
say of the guard
474
00:23:06,458 --> 00:23:08,541
that watches the
gates of the Louvre?
475
00:23:08,542 --> 00:23:12,041
Apollinaire comments on the
lax security of the Louvre.
476
00:23:12,042 --> 00:23:14,541
The paintings aren't
padlocked to the walls
477
00:23:14,542 --> 00:23:17,082
the way they are at
most other museums.
478
00:23:17,083 --> 00:23:20,416
Anybody could just go and
take the thing off the wall.
479
00:23:20,417 --> 00:23:23,207
He refers to the
situation as careless,
480
00:23:23,208 --> 00:23:24,833
indifferent, even negligent.
481
00:23:25,875 --> 00:23:27,874
Apollinaire once
signed a manifesto
482
00:23:27,875 --> 00:23:31,707
condemning the old
institutions of the arts,
483
00:23:31,708 --> 00:23:34,207
saying they should be abolished.
484
00:23:35,542 --> 00:23:37,166
While
Apollinaire's writings
485
00:23:37,167 --> 00:23:38,707
are largely symbolic,
486
00:23:38,708 --> 00:23:41,666
they sound alarm bells
for the detectives
487
00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:43,541
on the Mona Lisa case.
488
00:23:43,542 --> 00:23:47,041
Police quickly
realize that he is part
489
00:23:47,042 --> 00:23:49,624
of a whole community of artists
490
00:23:49,625 --> 00:23:53,166
who are trying to turn
French artistic tradition
491
00:23:53,167 --> 00:23:54,791
on its head.
492
00:23:54,792 --> 00:23:57,791
As Lépine begins to learn
more about the artists
493
00:23:57,792 --> 00:24:00,041
who move about in
Apollinaire's circle,
494
00:24:00,042 --> 00:24:03,249
he starts to suspect
that maybe Apollinaire
495
00:24:03,250 --> 00:24:04,792
didn't act alone.
496
00:24:08,667 --> 00:24:10,374
Exactly two weeks after
the Mona Lisa was stolen,
497
00:24:10,375 --> 00:24:13,707
the case has taken a new
turn with investigators,
498
00:24:13,708 --> 00:24:17,332
who now wonder if the
theft was a political act
499
00:24:17,333 --> 00:24:18,791
carried out by modern artists
500
00:24:18,792 --> 00:24:21,625
with a grudge against
traditional institutions.
501
00:24:22,625 --> 00:24:25,832
Detective Louis Lépine
theorizes that the thief
502
00:24:25,833 --> 00:24:29,082
who triggered the
affaires des statuettes
503
00:24:29,083 --> 00:24:30,541
could be part of a larger gang
504
00:24:30,542 --> 00:24:32,749
that's holding the
painting hostage.
505
00:24:32,750 --> 00:24:35,249
The heat is on to
identify the thief
506
00:24:35,250 --> 00:24:38,457
who wrote to the "Paris-Journal"
507
00:24:38,458 --> 00:24:41,291
and his entire
band of associates.
508
00:24:41,292 --> 00:24:43,707
On September 6th,
509
00:24:43,708 --> 00:24:46,582
the Paris-Journal
publishes a shocking story.
510
00:24:46,583 --> 00:24:47,749
The two Iberian busts
511
00:24:47,750 --> 00:24:50,082
that had been purchased
from the baron
512
00:24:50,083 --> 00:24:52,666
were returned to the
newspaper the day before.
513
00:24:52,667 --> 00:24:54,124
This leads the police
514
00:24:54,125 --> 00:24:56,041
to go to Apollinaire's apartment
515
00:24:56,042 --> 00:24:58,416
and they bring him
in for questioning.
516
00:24:58,417 --> 00:24:59,541
They are determined that
they're gonna find out
517
00:24:59,542 --> 00:25:00,833
what's happened to
these statuettes.
518
00:25:02,792 --> 00:25:03,957
And they say that
an anonymous source
519
00:25:03,958 --> 00:25:06,832
has linked Apollinaire
with the fictional baron
520
00:25:06,833 --> 00:25:09,291
who has admitted to stealing
all of these artifacts
521
00:25:09,292 --> 00:25:10,791
from the Louvre.
522
00:25:10,792 --> 00:25:12,916
So Lépine is convinced that
there is a direct connection
523
00:25:12,917 --> 00:25:15,082
between the theft
of Iberian busts
524
00:25:15,083 --> 00:25:16,541
and the theft of Mona Lisa,
525
00:25:16,542 --> 00:25:19,207
and that Apollinaire
is the ringleader
526
00:25:19,208 --> 00:25:22,666
behind the gang that made
both of these thefts happen.
527
00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:25,332
The police begin
to wonder if perhaps
528
00:25:25,333 --> 00:25:27,832
they're dealing
not with one thief,
529
00:25:27,833 --> 00:25:31,541
but a whole network of
organized criminals.
530
00:25:39,042 --> 00:25:41,457
Lépine and his men
spend hours
531
00:25:41,458 --> 00:25:43,374
grilling Apollinaire.
532
00:25:43,375 --> 00:25:44,874
They tell him,
533
00:25:44,875 --> 00:25:47,582
"If you don't reveal to us
the identity of the baron,
534
00:25:47,583 --> 00:25:50,582
we are going to charge you
with harboring a criminal,
535
00:25:50,583 --> 00:25:52,999
with possession of stolen goods,
536
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,833
and with interfering with
a police investigation."
537
00:25:56,708 --> 00:25:58,582
Apollinaire
finally cracks
538
00:25:58,583 --> 00:26:01,791
and identifies the
thief as Gery-Pieret,
539
00:26:01,792 --> 00:26:03,666
a struggling Belgian artist
540
00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:06,332
who'd been living in
Apollinaire's apartment
541
00:26:06,333 --> 00:26:08,291
and working as his secretary.
542
00:26:08,292 --> 00:26:09,624
Having come clean,
543
00:26:09,625 --> 00:26:11,916
Apollinaire assumes
now he'll be free.
544
00:26:11,917 --> 00:26:13,249
Not so fast.
545
00:26:13,250 --> 00:26:16,791
Instead, he's taken to prison
and interrogated once again.
546
00:26:16,792 --> 00:26:19,499
Lépine is relentless.
He is pushing him.
547
00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:21,707
I want the names. I
want your associates.
548
00:26:21,708 --> 00:26:23,457
Who else was
involved in the theft
549
00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:26,249
and who purchased these statues?
550
00:26:26,250 --> 00:26:29,457
Apollinaire is just digging
himself deeper and deeper
551
00:26:29,458 --> 00:26:31,208
as the investigation goes on.
552
00:26:32,542 --> 00:26:34,124
He admits that on
the day of the heist,
553
00:26:34,125 --> 00:26:38,124
he had actually bought Pieret
a train ticket to Marseille
554
00:26:38,125 --> 00:26:40,833
and urged him to get out of
town as quickly as possible.
555
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,249
A day after the papers
published the news
556
00:26:44,250 --> 00:26:45,832
of Apollinaire's arrest,
557
00:26:45,833 --> 00:26:48,457
the "Paris-Journal" gets
another letter from the baron,
558
00:26:48,458 --> 00:26:50,416
who's now identified as Pieret.
559
00:26:50,417 --> 00:26:53,916
He's in Brussels far out of
the reach of the Paris Police,
560
00:26:53,917 --> 00:26:55,707
but he insists that his old boss
561
00:26:55,708 --> 00:26:58,999
had nothing to do with
the thefts of the busts.
562
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:00,916
Apollinaire swears up and down
563
00:27:00,917 --> 00:27:03,624
he has nothing to do with
the theft of the Mona Lisa,
564
00:27:03,625 --> 00:27:05,874
but Apollinaire as a foreigner
565
00:27:05,875 --> 00:27:07,583
makes a convenient scapegoat.
566
00:27:09,208 --> 00:27:11,541
Lépine doesn't believe
Apollinaire's story.
567
00:27:11,542 --> 00:27:15,707
He tells him that if he
doesn't reveal the name
568
00:27:15,708 --> 00:27:18,207
of others who have
bought these statuettes,
569
00:27:18,208 --> 00:27:20,916
that they will go after
all of his friends
570
00:27:20,917 --> 00:27:24,041
in this community of artists.
571
00:27:24,042 --> 00:27:26,124
Eventually Apollinaire breaks
572
00:27:26,125 --> 00:27:28,957
and identifies the man who
bought the bust from Pieret
573
00:27:28,958 --> 00:27:33,125
as an up-and-coming artist
named Pablo Picasso.
574
00:27:34,458 --> 00:27:35,832
Like Apollinaire,
575
00:27:35,833 --> 00:27:37,874
the young Spanish
painter is a foreigner
576
00:27:37,875 --> 00:27:40,749
who's called for the
destruction of the Louvre.
577
00:27:40,750 --> 00:27:43,707
Both men are part of a
group of artistic firebrands
578
00:27:43,708 --> 00:27:47,916
known around town as
the Wild Men of Paris.
579
00:27:47,917 --> 00:27:51,082
Lépine now believes
that this group of artists
580
00:27:51,083 --> 00:27:55,416
is a gang sophisticated
and motivated enough
581
00:27:55,417 --> 00:27:57,582
to steal the Mona Lisa.
582
00:27:57,583 --> 00:27:59,916
Two days after
Apollinaire is arrested,
583
00:27:59,917 --> 00:28:02,832
police show up at
Picasso's apartment
584
00:28:02,833 --> 00:28:04,791
and arrest him as well.
585
00:28:06,417 --> 00:28:07,582
Inside the apartment,
586
00:28:07,583 --> 00:28:09,874
Picasso was working
on a new painting
587
00:28:09,875 --> 00:28:13,541
with large scale female
nudes all painted
588
00:28:13,542 --> 00:28:16,374
in a very abstract manner.
589
00:28:16,375 --> 00:28:18,541
Picasso was actually using
590
00:28:18,542 --> 00:28:21,041
these prehistoric
Iberian statuettes
591
00:28:21,042 --> 00:28:24,541
as an inspiration for
the faces of the women
592
00:28:24,542 --> 00:28:26,874
in this monumental painting.
593
00:28:26,875 --> 00:28:28,832
If the police had taken the time
594
00:28:28,833 --> 00:28:32,666
to really examine Picasso's
new work in progress,
595
00:28:32,667 --> 00:28:34,749
they would've realized
that the evidence
596
00:28:34,750 --> 00:28:37,667
was staring at them
in plain sight.
597
00:28:38,917 --> 00:28:41,499
Picasso is literally
shaking with fear
598
00:28:41,500 --> 00:28:42,957
as he's brought to
the police station
599
00:28:42,958 --> 00:28:44,541
and brought before
the magistrate.
600
00:28:44,542 --> 00:28:49,082
There he sees a Apollinaire
similarly disheveled and broken.
601
00:28:49,083 --> 00:28:52,166
Picasso denies that he's
ever had anything to do
602
00:28:52,167 --> 00:28:55,332
with the theft of the
statuettes or anything else.
603
00:28:55,333 --> 00:28:56,916
Beyond that, he says,
604
00:28:56,917 --> 00:28:59,791
"I have never even seen this
man, Apollinaire, in my life."
605
00:29:02,375 --> 00:29:04,666
Both men
endure several more days
606
00:29:04,667 --> 00:29:06,332
of intense interrogation
607
00:29:06,333 --> 00:29:09,249
before finally appearing
before a judge.
608
00:29:09,250 --> 00:29:12,541
Apollinaire and Picasso
are both said to have cried
609
00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:16,332
and apologized profusely for
stealing any of the artifacts
610
00:29:16,333 --> 00:29:17,707
from the Louvre.
611
00:29:17,708 --> 00:29:19,457
But they both insist that
they had nothing to do
612
00:29:19,458 --> 00:29:21,916
with the theft of the Mona Lisa.
613
00:29:21,917 --> 00:29:25,041
As much as Lépine thought
he had cracked the case,
614
00:29:25,042 --> 00:29:27,082
judges failed to
find any evidence
615
00:29:27,083 --> 00:29:30,707
that links definitively
Apollinaire, Picasso,
616
00:29:30,708 --> 00:29:33,791
or Gery-Pieret to the
theft of the Mona Lisa.
617
00:29:33,792 --> 00:29:35,749
Eventually they're released
618
00:29:35,750 --> 00:29:38,416
and the trail once
again goes cold,
619
00:29:38,417 --> 00:29:43,125
and the Paris Police have to
come up with some new ideas.
620
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,457
As
days turn to weeks,
621
00:29:48,458 --> 00:29:51,166
investigators looking
into the Mona Lisa heist
622
00:29:51,167 --> 00:29:54,207
are chasing leads
that go nowhere.
623
00:29:54,208 --> 00:29:56,707
Eventually, the Paris
Police are forced
624
00:29:56,708 --> 00:29:59,832
to look deeper at
Louvre insiders.
625
00:29:59,833 --> 00:30:04,374
They continue to fingerprint
the Louvre employees
626
00:30:04,375 --> 00:30:05,832
and contractors,
627
00:30:05,833 --> 00:30:07,874
but they've come
up empty-handed,
628
00:30:07,875 --> 00:30:10,499
and the French public
is getting impatient
629
00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:12,207
with their methods.
630
00:30:12,208 --> 00:30:14,166
After Lépine had exhausted
631
00:30:14,167 --> 00:30:16,082
all of the traditional
forms of evidence,
632
00:30:16,083 --> 00:30:18,082
he still was at ground zero.
633
00:30:18,083 --> 00:30:19,582
And so he decided
that he would look
634
00:30:19,583 --> 00:30:24,499
into the newest form of
behavioral evidence, profiling.
635
00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:27,749
And as he did that, he
started to recognize again
636
00:30:27,750 --> 00:30:31,207
and reevaluate and
then re-theorize
637
00:30:31,208 --> 00:30:33,874
based on the things
that he knows about,
638
00:30:33,875 --> 00:30:35,791
that the person had
intimate knowledge
639
00:30:35,792 --> 00:30:37,042
about the painting.
640
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,582
Lépine and his
forces ascertained
641
00:30:40,583 --> 00:30:43,874
that this criminal
must be educated,
642
00:30:43,875 --> 00:30:47,499
must be in the know,
must be wealthy.
643
00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:51,082
This clearly had to be
someone either as a buyer
644
00:30:51,083 --> 00:30:53,041
that was a lover of art,
645
00:30:53,042 --> 00:30:56,124
or the thief themselves
was stealing this painting
646
00:30:56,125 --> 00:30:59,207
to keep in their own
personal collection.
647
00:31:05,875 --> 00:31:08,374
Although Leonardo
da Vinci left behind
648
00:31:08,375 --> 00:31:11,166
thousands of drawings,
649
00:31:11,167 --> 00:31:15,624
he only left behind
fewer than 20 paintings.
650
00:31:15,625 --> 00:31:19,082
And the Mona Lisa
is so emblematic
651
00:31:19,083 --> 00:31:20,749
of the Italian Renaissance,
652
00:31:20,750 --> 00:31:24,374
a painting like this
would be the crown jewel
653
00:31:24,375 --> 00:31:26,624
of any art collection.
654
00:31:26,625 --> 00:31:30,374
Even Napoleon was enamored
by the woman in the painting
655
00:31:30,375 --> 00:31:32,707
and he took the
painting from the Louvre
656
00:31:32,708 --> 00:31:38,000
and hung it in his private bed
chambers from 1800 to 1804,
657
00:31:38,208 --> 00:31:40,207
A little
over 100 years later,
658
00:31:40,208 --> 00:31:43,666
investigators wonder
if another powerful man
659
00:31:43,667 --> 00:31:46,457
took the portrait for himself.
660
00:31:46,458 --> 00:31:48,166
Around the time of
the Mona Lisa theft,
661
00:31:48,167 --> 00:31:51,082
American entrepreneurs are
traveling around Europe
662
00:31:51,083 --> 00:31:54,582
and buying art at a frenzied
pace throughout the continent.
663
00:31:54,583 --> 00:31:57,832
And among those collectors
is John Pierpont Morgan,
664
00:31:57,833 --> 00:31:59,083
J.P. Morgan.
665
00:32:00,083 --> 00:32:02,082
This is a former
railroad tycoon
666
00:32:02,083 --> 00:32:04,874
who works in the upper
echelons of not just industry,
667
00:32:04,875 --> 00:32:06,541
but also politics.
668
00:32:06,542 --> 00:32:09,249
J.P. Morgan is responsible
for the formation
669
00:32:09,250 --> 00:32:11,499
of major multinational
corporations,
670
00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:14,291
like General Electric
and U.S. Steel.
671
00:32:14,292 --> 00:32:17,041
He also has a hand as a
major investor in companies
672
00:32:17,042 --> 00:32:19,000
like Western Union and Aetna.
673
00:32:21,083 --> 00:32:24,832
He's also one of the
most active art collectors
674
00:32:24,833 --> 00:32:26,874
in America at that time.
675
00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:30,207
He has an absolutely
incredible collection
676
00:32:30,208 --> 00:32:32,874
of more than 20,000 items.
677
00:32:32,875 --> 00:32:36,041
He has Raphael's
Colonna Altarpiece.
678
00:32:36,042 --> 00:32:39,666
He has several rare
paintings by Vermeer.
679
00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:43,332
So he is someone who
might have the wherewithal
680
00:32:43,333 --> 00:32:46,707
to pull off something
as bold as the theft
681
00:32:46,708 --> 00:32:49,041
of the Mona Lisa
from the Louvre.
682
00:32:49,042 --> 00:32:51,124
No one else had
that kind of money,
683
00:32:51,125 --> 00:32:53,874
and appreciation
for European art,
684
00:32:53,875 --> 00:32:56,333
and that level of
unchecked greed.
685
00:32:57,708 --> 00:32:59,541
When the search
for the stolen Mona Lisa
686
00:32:59,542 --> 00:33:02,666
peters out in France
in the fall of 1911,
687
00:33:02,667 --> 00:33:06,332
many observers speculate that
she could already be hanging
688
00:33:06,333 --> 00:33:11,249
in one of Morgan's mansions,
or could be headed there soon.
689
00:33:11,250 --> 00:33:13,291
Suspicion only grows
when it's discovered
690
00:33:13,292 --> 00:33:16,082
that Morgan was on
vacation in Italy
691
00:33:16,083 --> 00:33:18,499
at the time of the
Mona Lisa theft.
692
00:33:18,500 --> 00:33:20,749
The thought is that he
actually had the painting
693
00:33:20,750 --> 00:33:23,374
delivered to him
while he was there.
694
00:33:23,375 --> 00:33:25,332
There's a growing belief
amongst the French populace
695
00:33:25,333 --> 00:33:27,749
that only an
American millionaire
696
00:33:27,750 --> 00:33:30,207
could have pulled off this heist
697
00:33:30,208 --> 00:33:33,166
and had so much money
to enlist the help
698
00:33:33,167 --> 00:33:34,457
of professional thieves
699
00:33:34,458 --> 00:33:37,416
to acquire this
national masterpiece
700
00:33:37,417 --> 00:33:40,125
for their own private enjoyment.
701
00:33:41,375 --> 00:33:43,207
It wouldn't be
the first time J.P. Morgan
702
00:33:43,208 --> 00:33:46,207
had been caught with
a stolen art treasure.
703
00:33:46,208 --> 00:33:49,874
J.P. Morgan actually
did have a stolen item
704
00:33:49,875 --> 00:33:51,374
in his collection.
705
00:33:51,375 --> 00:33:54,707
He had one of the vestments
of Pope Nicholas IV,
706
00:33:54,708 --> 00:33:58,666
but upon realizing that
this was a stolen work,
707
00:33:58,667 --> 00:34:00,583
he returned it to Italy.
708
00:34:01,917 --> 00:34:03,416
Months
into the case,
709
00:34:03,417 --> 00:34:05,624
the investigation
is unsuccessful,
710
00:34:05,625 --> 00:34:08,666
but the speculation over
J.P. Morgan's involvement
711
00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:10,541
is very much alive.
712
00:34:10,542 --> 00:34:15,207
In 1912, Morgan goes to
France for a spa vacation
713
00:34:15,208 --> 00:34:16,707
and the tabloids go berserk.
714
00:34:16,708 --> 00:34:19,207
They're like, "That's it, he's
here to get the Mona Lisa.
715
00:34:19,208 --> 00:34:20,749
He's here to meet mysterious men
716
00:34:20,750 --> 00:34:22,707
who he is gonna get this
piece smuggled to him
717
00:34:22,708 --> 00:34:24,000
for $1 million."
718
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:26,249
It's a wild theory
719
00:34:26,250 --> 00:34:28,374
that doesn't actually
have any basis in fact.
720
00:34:28,375 --> 00:34:30,874
But Morgan at this
time is just catnip
721
00:34:30,875 --> 00:34:34,207
for conspiracy theorists who
are going after him harder
722
00:34:34,208 --> 00:34:37,666
than police have gone
after any actual suspect.
723
00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:40,499
Morgan denies any
connection to this heist
724
00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:43,166
and says, "I actually wish
I was somehow involved,
725
00:34:43,167 --> 00:34:45,957
'cause I would buy it and
give it back to the Louvre."
726
00:34:45,958 --> 00:34:48,041
Not everyone believes this,
727
00:34:48,042 --> 00:34:50,999
but in the absence
of any evidence,
728
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,541
the police and the French public
729
00:34:53,542 --> 00:34:56,541
are forced to turn their
attention elsewhere.
730
00:34:57,875 --> 00:35:00,999
Mona Lisa remains a
top international headline
731
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,707
until April 14, 1912,
732
00:35:03,708 --> 00:35:05,582
when the sinking of the Titanic
733
00:35:05,583 --> 00:35:07,624
actually knocks it
off the front pages.
734
00:35:08,958 --> 00:35:12,249
By this time, many people
accept that the Mona Lisa
735
00:35:12,250 --> 00:35:14,374
is never coming
back to the Louvre,
736
00:35:14,375 --> 00:35:17,207
and in fact, the Louvre
itself removes the painting
737
00:35:17,208 --> 00:35:19,292
from its official catalog.
738
00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:22,374
Many people believe
that the Mona Lisa
739
00:35:22,375 --> 00:35:27,333
is now far away from Paris
and may never be seen again.
740
00:35:31,375 --> 00:35:32,999
It's 1913.
741
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,499
Nearly two years have passed
since the Mona Lisa was stolen.
742
00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:38,207
The case has gone stone cold,
743
00:35:38,208 --> 00:35:39,457
but that changes
744
00:35:39,458 --> 00:35:42,291
when a prominent art
and antiques dealer
745
00:35:42,292 --> 00:35:45,332
receives a mysterious letter.
746
00:35:45,333 --> 00:35:48,291
An art dealer by the
name of Alfredo Geri
747
00:35:48,292 --> 00:35:51,666
is running advertisements
in Italian newspapers
748
00:35:51,667 --> 00:35:55,041
stating that he's
willing to pay top price
749
00:35:55,042 --> 00:35:57,541
for high quality works of art.
750
00:35:57,542 --> 00:35:59,374
Early in December,
he gets a letter
751
00:35:59,375 --> 00:36:01,707
with a Paris postmark
from a guy named Leonard
752
00:36:01,708 --> 00:36:04,667
who says that he has
stolen the Mona Lisa.
753
00:36:06,125 --> 00:36:09,791
The letter goes on to say that
in exchange for 500,000 lira,
754
00:36:09,792 --> 00:36:13,166
approximately 3 million
US dollars today,
755
00:36:13,167 --> 00:36:15,249
he will bring the
painting back to Italy,
756
00:36:15,250 --> 00:36:17,499
where it rightfully belongs.
757
00:36:17,500 --> 00:36:20,041
The letter is actually
pretty articulate
758
00:36:20,042 --> 00:36:21,874
in its love of Italy.
759
00:36:21,875 --> 00:36:23,541
It says that,
760
00:36:23,542 --> 00:36:25,957
" The stolen work of Leonardo da
Vinci is in my possession.
761
00:36:25,958 --> 00:36:28,749
It seems to belong to Italy
since it's painter was Italian.
762
00:36:28,750 --> 00:36:30,874
My dream is to give
back this masterpiece
763
00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:32,166
to the land from which it came
764
00:36:32,167 --> 00:36:34,749
and the country
that inspired it."
765
00:36:34,750 --> 00:36:36,207
Whoever this Leonard is,
766
00:36:36,208 --> 00:36:37,957
he's operating
under the impression
767
00:36:37,958 --> 00:36:42,041
that Napoleon stole the Mona
Lisa from its native Italy
768
00:36:42,042 --> 00:36:43,957
and brought it to France,
769
00:36:43,958 --> 00:36:46,457
but that's actually
not the case.
770
00:36:46,458 --> 00:36:49,749
Initially, Geri
suspects the letter is a hoax
771
00:36:49,750 --> 00:36:52,791
and holds off on
notifying the authorities.
772
00:36:52,792 --> 00:36:56,207
In the ensuing two years,
Europe has been wracked
773
00:36:56,208 --> 00:36:58,374
with Mona Lisa fever.
774
00:36:58,375 --> 00:37:01,082
Countless claims
of its whereabouts
775
00:37:01,083 --> 00:37:05,082
or fakes being issued and
being immediately dismissed
776
00:37:05,083 --> 00:37:06,541
are rampant.
777
00:37:06,542 --> 00:37:10,207
And Geri doesn't want
to be taken for a fool,
778
00:37:10,208 --> 00:37:14,749
but something in this
letter piques his interest.
779
00:37:14,750 --> 00:37:16,874
In the letter,
Leonard talks about
780
00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:20,791
some of the details on the
backside of the wooden panel
781
00:37:20,792 --> 00:37:22,207
of the Mona Lisa,
782
00:37:22,208 --> 00:37:25,374
and Geri worries that
it actually might
783
00:37:25,375 --> 00:37:27,458
have some truth to it.
784
00:37:29,042 --> 00:37:31,624
Geri invites
the man to his gallery
785
00:37:31,625 --> 00:37:36,374
for a clandestine meeting
on December 10, 1913.
786
00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:40,249
Geri is waiting, and in
walks a thin younger man
787
00:37:40,250 --> 00:37:42,416
who insists that he
has the real Mona Lisa.
788
00:37:42,417 --> 00:37:44,166
And the reason he knows this is
789
00:37:44,167 --> 00:37:47,082
because he stole the
painting himself.
790
00:37:47,083 --> 00:37:48,541
Geri isn't convinced,
791
00:37:48,542 --> 00:37:51,957
but he does agree to
meet the letter writer
792
00:37:51,958 --> 00:37:56,916
with the director of
Florence's famed Uffizi Museum.
793
00:37:56,917 --> 00:38:00,874
He's there to authenticate
maybe the Mona Lisa.
794
00:38:00,875 --> 00:38:03,124
The
man pulls a trunk
795
00:38:03,125 --> 00:38:05,832
from under the hotel room's bed.
796
00:38:05,833 --> 00:38:08,500
This looks like just
an ordinary trunk,
797
00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:14,332
and when he opens it, Geri
is immediately disappointed.
798
00:38:16,375 --> 00:38:20,166
It's just discarded
items, but it has a secret.
799
00:38:20,167 --> 00:38:22,374
It has a false bottom.
800
00:38:22,375 --> 00:38:24,457
So he pulls the false
bottom from the trunk,
801
00:38:24,458 --> 00:38:27,874
and there is a
solid plank of wood,
802
00:38:31,583 --> 00:38:35,207
And the
Mona Lisa smile emerges.
803
00:38:35,208 --> 00:38:37,832
The painting is real.
804
00:38:37,833 --> 00:38:40,832
Geri immediately
alerts the authorities.
805
00:38:40,833 --> 00:38:42,541
Leonard is arrested,
806
00:38:42,542 --> 00:38:47,041
and name is discovered
to be Vincenzo Peruggia.
807
00:38:52,250 --> 00:38:53,999
Peruggia is an
Italian national
808
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,291
who had moved to France
hoping to become an artist,
809
00:38:57,292 --> 00:38:59,041
but instead he became a laborer
810
00:38:59,042 --> 00:39:04,041
working in the Louvre from
October, 1910 to January, 1911.
811
00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:06,499
So as Lépine had suspected,
812
00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:09,707
he had worked at the
Louvre as a subcontractor,
813
00:39:09,708 --> 00:39:12,541
manufacturing the
protective glass boxes
814
00:39:12,542 --> 00:39:15,708
that held artwork
like the Mona Lisa.
815
00:39:17,083 --> 00:39:18,707
Interestingly,
the Paris Police
816
00:39:18,708 --> 00:39:22,249
had already interviewed
Peruggia more than once,
817
00:39:22,250 --> 00:39:25,874
but he was so calm and
cooperative-seeming
818
00:39:25,875 --> 00:39:29,874
that they had neglected
to even fingerprint him.
819
00:39:29,875 --> 00:39:31,624
The whole time
the French police
820
00:39:31,625 --> 00:39:33,707
were inside his dingy apartment,
821
00:39:33,708 --> 00:39:37,417
the Mona Lisa was hiding
right there under his bed.
822
00:39:38,875 --> 00:39:40,416
At trial,
823
00:39:40,417 --> 00:39:44,166
Peruggia's simple but
effective plot is revealed.
824
00:39:44,167 --> 00:39:47,124
He enters with the crowds
on a Sunday afternoon.
825
00:39:47,125 --> 00:39:48,291
He hides in a closet.
826
00:39:48,292 --> 00:39:50,707
When it opens Monday,
the closed day,
827
00:39:50,708 --> 00:39:54,332
he steals a white smock,
looks like an employee,
828
00:39:54,333 --> 00:39:55,874
because he fabricated the piece,
829
00:39:55,875 --> 00:39:58,416
he knows how to take it off,
takes it off immediately,
830
00:39:58,417 --> 00:40:00,166
and then heads to the stairwell.
831
00:40:00,167 --> 00:40:01,874
Peruggia said
he'd stolen a key
832
00:40:01,875 --> 00:40:04,666
to open that door to the
stairwell, but it didn't work.
833
00:40:04,667 --> 00:40:06,707
So he tried to
use a screwdriver,
834
00:40:06,708 --> 00:40:09,707
but all that happened was
the doorknob fell off.
835
00:40:09,708 --> 00:40:11,582
By the time that
plumber came along,
836
00:40:11,583 --> 00:40:14,291
he'd managed to safely tuck
the painting under his smock
837
00:40:14,292 --> 00:40:16,041
to make that getaway.
838
00:40:16,042 --> 00:40:18,207
The defendant insisted
that he had done this
839
00:40:18,208 --> 00:40:19,874
all out of national pride
840
00:40:19,875 --> 00:40:23,166
because Mona Lisa
belonged in Italy,
841
00:40:23,167 --> 00:40:24,792
the home of Leonardo da Vinci.
842
00:40:26,125 --> 00:40:29,832
To immense fanfare,
France's national treasure,
843
00:40:29,833 --> 00:40:34,750
the Mona Lisa, is returned
on January 4, 1914.
844
00:40:35,333 --> 00:40:36,916
Peruggia pleads guilty,
845
00:40:36,917 --> 00:40:40,166
but the court finds him
guilty of the theft,
846
00:40:40,167 --> 00:40:42,166
but for the right reasons,
847
00:40:42,167 --> 00:40:45,874
they claim that he was
acting under a patriotic duty
848
00:40:45,875 --> 00:40:49,332
and he's sentenced
to only one year.
849
00:40:49,333 --> 00:40:51,541
Peruggia serves
only eight months
850
00:40:51,542 --> 00:40:54,374
for stealing the Mona Lisa.
851
00:40:56,375 --> 00:40:58,582
Once the Mona Lisa
returns to the Louvre,
852
00:40:58,583 --> 00:41:00,999
it becomes more
famous than ever,
853
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:05,499
attracting over 100,000
visitors in its first two days.
854
00:41:05,500 --> 00:41:09,541
Today, huge crowds still
vie for a firsthand look.
855
00:41:09,542 --> 00:41:10,874
Few of them aware
856
00:41:10,875 --> 00:41:13,082
of the international
mystery she sparked
857
00:41:13,083 --> 00:41:15,082
more than a hundred years ago.
858
00:41:15,083 --> 00:41:16,666
I'm Laurence Fishburne.
859
00:41:16,667 --> 00:41:19,874
Thank you for watching
this "Case Closed" episode
860
00:41:19,875 --> 00:41:22,499
of "History's
Greatest Mysteries."