Art theft is not a new phenomenon. As far back as ancient Egypt, looters broke into the tombs of their deceased rulers to steal their possessions. And this, at a time when one risked not only a long prison sentence, but also eternal damnation.
Today, it is not uncommon for criminals to steal not for themselves, but for a client who would like to get their hands on world-famous works of art for ransom or to use them as currency on the black market. Here are ten major art thefts of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Louvre Museum, Paris - August 1911
The first case is also the most famous: the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris on August 21, 1911. For two years, the police remained in the dark. Even Pablo Picasso was suspected.
Finally, it turned out that an amateur thief from Italy, who worked as a house painter in Paris, had stolen the painting while locked in the museum for the night, before leaving in the early morning with the painting hidden under his coat. His motive: he wanted to take the work of Leonardo da Vinci "back home to Italy". His potential buyers, who unmasked him, caused his downfall. Although the Mona Lisa was known before the theft, it was this incident that made it truly famous.
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - April 1991
A year after the Boston incident, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was targeted. This time the thieves stole twenty works, including Van Gogh's self-portrait in front of an easel (1888). However, the thieves did not get very far: a flat tire on their getaway car allowed the police to recover the paintings an hour after the theft.
Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt - July 1994
The theft of three paintings from the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt on July 28, 1994, led to an artistic thriller that is considered the largest art theft in German history. Two paintings by William Turner, which had been loaned to Frankfurt by the Tate Gallery in London, and the painting Fog by Caspar David Friedrich, on loan from the Hamburger Kunsthalle, were stolen.
The Yugoslav mafia, which demanded a ransom, was found to be behind the theft. Scotland Yard intervened with "Operation Cobra". Thanks to undercover agents and the payment of various funds, the three works were returned to their original owners.
Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill - August 2003
On August 27, 2003, a version of Da Vinci's Madonna of the Spindles vanished. At Drumlanrig Castle, in the south of Scotland. The work is one of two versions of an original that has not survived, but on which the genius painter worked. 
The stolen copy belongs to the Duke of Buccleuch (hence the additional title of Madonna of Buccleuch), who had decided to display it to the public in his family home, Drumlanrig Castle. Two thieves disguised as police officers stole the painting before the astonished eyes of two New Zealand tourists, explaining that it was simply a security exercise. The painting was returned four years later. It is now in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.
Bührle Collection, Zurich - February 2008
Four paintings with a total value of 110 million euros were stolen from the Zurich museum in February 2008. They were kept in the room dedicated to the collection of the entrepreneur Emil Georg Bührle. Two of the works, Van Gogh's Chestnut Tree Branches in Bloom and Claude Monet's Field of Poppies near Vétheuil, resurfaced ten days later. Paul Cézanne's Boy in the Red Vest reappeared in Belgrade in 2012, and Edgar Degas' Count Lepic and His Daughters made its way to Zurich at a date still unknown. This theft is among the most important in Europe, for the artists targeted and the total value of the works. 
Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona - November 2015
A total of 17 paintings were stolen from the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona in November 2015, including works by Peter Paul Rubens, Tintoretto and Pisanello. The three masked thieves bound and gagged a cashier and the security guard, and moved through the museum in an extremely professional and determined manner.
Because some of the paintings were unsellable due to their popularity, the theft, as in other cases described here, was a commission. Just six months later, the stolen goods in Ukraine fell into the hands of a Moldavian gang. macos/deepLFree.translatedWithDeepL.text