Thirty thousand people look at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre every single day. But, in 1911, Mona Lisa was stolen, and for an entire day, nobody noticed it.
In the early 20th century, the Mona Lisa was already a valuable painting, but it was virtually unknown to the average human. Then, in 1911 it got stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris and went missing for over two years, with multiple suspects being investigated, including Pablo Picasso. The painting was only recovered two years later.
During that time, it gained immense attention, with 120 thousand people showing up in the first two days of it being back in the display. The theft story fascinated the public, and the painting symbolized the enduring mystery. Questions like who was the lady in the painting and why the enigmatic smile started to capture the imagination of millions and keep growing its fame.
Mona Lisa is an incredible painting, but so thousands of other paintings are. Mona Lisa became famous for being stolen. Fame attracted attention, and attention attracted speculation about her smile, her looks, and even her hidden messages until she became famous by herself. What if Mona Lisa was never stolen?
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