1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:03,249 [tense music] 2 00:00:03,250 --> 00:00:06,082 - Tonight, the most famous painting in the world 3 00:00:06,083 --> 00:00:08,208 stolen in a brazen heist. 4 00:00:09,042 --> 00:00:10,457 - Everyone wants to know 5 00:00:10,458 --> 00:00:12,707 how a Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece 6 00:00:12,708 --> 00:00:16,124 could simply disappear from the wall of the Louvre. 7 00:00:16,125 --> 00:00:18,582 - She's hanging on the wall at 7:00 AM 8 00:00:18,583 --> 00:00:22,541 and by 8:30 she's just gone without a trace. 9 00:00:22,542 --> 00:00:25,707 - A renowned detective swings into action. 10 00:00:25,708 --> 00:00:29,332 - Louis Lépine is like the French Sherlock Holmes. 11 00:00:29,333 --> 00:00:32,416 If there's anyone who can crack this case, it's him. 12 00:00:32,417 --> 00:00:35,499 - Sure enough, when they dust the glass for prints, 13 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:37,249 something turns up. 14 00:00:37,250 --> 00:00:39,582 - The hunt is on for this priceless portrait, 15 00:00:39,583 --> 00:00:43,374 but more than one suspect seems to have a motive. 16 00:00:43,375 --> 00:00:47,499 - He and his fellow robber barons spend their fortunes 17 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:51,374 amassing the finest art of Europe's history. 18 00:00:51,375 --> 00:00:54,416 - Pablo Picasso was the perfect suspect. 19 00:00:54,417 --> 00:00:58,791 The incriminating evidence was painted into his work. 20 00:00:58,792 --> 00:01:00,874 - Now we'll explore the top theories 21 00:01:00,875 --> 00:01:05,166 in the two-year investigation for the missing masterpiece. 22 00:01:05,167 --> 00:01:08,124 - Police are on the search for a genius thief 23 00:01:08,125 --> 00:01:10,374 from the higher echelons of society. 24 00:01:10,375 --> 00:01:12,374 - Nothing about this case played out 25 00:01:12,375 --> 00:01:14,707 like the public expected. 26 00:01:14,708 --> 00:01:16,583 - Who stole the Mona Lisa? 27 00:01:18,542 --> 00:01:21,292 [dramatic music] 28 00:01:30,208 --> 00:01:32,875 [tense music] 29 00:01:34,042 --> 00:01:37,833 - [Laurence] On Tuesday, August 22, 1911, around 9:00 AM, 30 00:01:39,542 --> 00:01:42,624 artist Louis Beroud arrives at the Louvre 31 00:01:42,625 --> 00:01:46,791 and makes his way to one of the museum's most famous rooms, 32 00:01:46,792 --> 00:01:48,374 the Salon Carré. 33 00:01:48,375 --> 00:01:52,249 - Beroud makes his living copying the old masters. 34 00:01:52,250 --> 00:01:54,041 Today he's working on a painting 35 00:01:54,042 --> 00:01:55,916 that features Leonardo da Vinci's 36 00:01:55,917 --> 00:01:57,457 400-year-old masterpiece, 37 00:01:57,458 --> 00:02:02,333 La Joconde, known to English speakers as the Mona Lisa. 38 00:02:03,875 --> 00:02:05,332 - The woman in the painting 39 00:02:05,333 --> 00:02:08,374 most likely represents Lisa Gherardini. 40 00:02:08,375 --> 00:02:12,249 She is the wife of a prosperous Florentine wool merchant 41 00:02:12,250 --> 00:02:14,791 named Francesco del Giocondo. 42 00:02:14,792 --> 00:02:19,208 Leonardo begins her portrait in approximately 1503. 43 00:02:20,042 --> 00:02:21,374 - Art historians believe 44 00:02:21,375 --> 00:02:23,999 that it was da Vinci's favorite painting. 45 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,582 Leonardo da Vinci dies in 1519 in France, 46 00:02:27,583 --> 00:02:30,791 and the king of France, Francis I, 47 00:02:30,792 --> 00:02:32,499 buys it from da Vinci's estate. 48 00:02:32,500 --> 00:02:36,332 And then a couple centuries later in 1797, 49 00:02:36,333 --> 00:02:38,874 the Louvre, which had been a royal palace, 50 00:02:38,875 --> 00:02:42,749 is converted into the world's largest museum at the time, 51 00:02:42,750 --> 00:02:46,208 and that is where the Mona Lisa remains today. 52 00:02:48,208 --> 00:02:51,207 - By 1911, the Mona Lisa is not the most famous 53 00:02:51,208 --> 00:02:53,416 or the most expensive painting in the Louvre, 54 00:02:53,417 --> 00:02:55,082 but there's something unique 55 00:02:55,083 --> 00:02:58,082 and mesmerizing about the smile of La Joconde. 56 00:02:58,083 --> 00:03:00,666 It's what draws Beroud to be so excited 57 00:03:00,667 --> 00:03:03,041 about including it in his latest work. 58 00:03:03,042 --> 00:03:06,291 But when he gets to the Salon Carré on that Tuesday morning, 59 00:03:06,292 --> 00:03:08,167 he's in for a huge surprise. 60 00:03:09,417 --> 00:03:11,707 - [Laurence] Instead of seeing that familiar face 61 00:03:11,708 --> 00:03:13,207 looking back at him, 62 00:03:13,208 --> 00:03:15,874 Beroud sees only a blank stretch of wall 63 00:03:15,875 --> 00:03:18,416 and four empty pegs. 64 00:03:18,417 --> 00:03:21,207 - He expresses his concern with this missing painting, 65 00:03:21,208 --> 00:03:22,624 but the guard reassures him 66 00:03:22,625 --> 00:03:24,124 that there's nothing to worry about, 67 00:03:24,125 --> 00:03:26,666 that the painting has undoubtedly been taken 68 00:03:26,667 --> 00:03:30,457 by one of the museum curators to be photographed 69 00:03:30,458 --> 00:03:33,374 and cataloged for the museum. 70 00:03:33,375 --> 00:03:35,916 - And so he checks in with the photography department 71 00:03:35,917 --> 00:03:37,999 and makes a grave discovery. 72 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,374 Le Joconde was never taken off the wall for that purpose. 73 00:03:41,375 --> 00:03:44,124 Turns out she's been stolen. 74 00:03:44,125 --> 00:03:46,082 [tense music] 75 00:03:46,083 --> 00:03:48,207 - [Laurence] Panic ensues at the Louvre 76 00:03:48,208 --> 00:03:50,499 and the museum reaches out to the chief 77 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:52,374 of the Paris Police for help. 78 00:03:52,375 --> 00:03:55,041 His name is Louis Lépine. 79 00:03:55,042 --> 00:03:58,791 - Louis Lépine is like the French Sherlock Holmes, 80 00:03:58,792 --> 00:04:00,374 a master of deduction. 81 00:04:00,375 --> 00:04:02,791 If there's anyone who can crack this case, 82 00:04:02,792 --> 00:04:04,208 it's Louis Lépine. 83 00:04:05,458 --> 00:04:09,207 - Lépine and his army of men arrive under two hours 84 00:04:09,208 --> 00:04:12,041 after discovery that the painting is missing. 85 00:04:12,042 --> 00:04:14,082 They shut the museum down 86 00:04:14,083 --> 00:04:16,416 under the guise of a broken water pipe 87 00:04:16,417 --> 00:04:18,916 and launch an investigation for any clues 88 00:04:18,917 --> 00:04:21,333 as to what could have happened to the painting. 89 00:04:22,417 --> 00:04:23,582 - [Laurence] After an hour of searching, 90 00:04:23,583 --> 00:04:26,499 police finally uncover some evidence: 91 00:04:26,500 --> 00:04:29,499 Mona Lisa's heavy frame and protective glass casing 92 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:32,041 have been discarded in the dark corner 93 00:04:32,042 --> 00:04:34,207 of a service stairwell. 94 00:04:34,208 --> 00:04:36,582 - What they deduce is that the thief 95 00:04:36,583 --> 00:04:38,707 must have lifted it off the wall 96 00:04:38,708 --> 00:04:42,624 and then kind of scurried away into one of these stairwells, 97 00:04:42,625 --> 00:04:44,624 stripped off the covering and the frame 98 00:04:44,625 --> 00:04:47,541 and discarded it and made off with it. 99 00:04:47,542 --> 00:04:50,624 - If you were stealing a painting that was on canvas, 100 00:04:50,625 --> 00:04:53,707 for example, you could take it out of its frame 101 00:04:53,708 --> 00:04:57,374 and roll it up, potentially hide it inside a cloak. 102 00:04:57,375 --> 00:05:00,707 But the Mona Lisa is painted on a white poplar panel. 103 00:05:00,708 --> 00:05:04,291 It has a heavy Renaissance-style frame. 104 00:05:04,292 --> 00:05:06,207 - It's 21 by 30 inches wide. 105 00:05:06,208 --> 00:05:07,874 So with its protective frame, 106 00:05:07,875 --> 00:05:10,791 the actual Mona Lisa weighs 90 pounds. 107 00:05:10,792 --> 00:05:13,582 You can't stick it under your coat and walk out. 108 00:05:13,583 --> 00:05:17,457 - One of the police officers notices right away 109 00:05:17,458 --> 00:05:19,457 that there is a doorknob missing 110 00:05:19,458 --> 00:05:22,582 from this door in the stairwell. 111 00:05:22,583 --> 00:05:24,832 They assume that this is the way 112 00:05:24,833 --> 00:05:28,667 that the thief got out of the building with the Mona Lisa. 113 00:05:30,042 --> 00:05:32,249 - [Laurence] Unfortunately, Lépine soon discovers 114 00:05:32,250 --> 00:05:35,874 that whoever stole the painting has quite a headstart. 115 00:05:35,875 --> 00:05:38,207 - The museum's maintenance supervisor says 116 00:05:38,208 --> 00:05:41,166 the previous day on Monday, when the museum was closed, 117 00:05:41,167 --> 00:05:42,874 he was walking through the Salon Carré 118 00:05:42,875 --> 00:05:46,207 and saw the Mona Lisa hanging in her usual spot 119 00:05:46,208 --> 00:05:47,624 around 7:00 AM. 120 00:05:47,625 --> 00:05:50,249 By 8:30 AM, when he returned, 121 00:05:50,250 --> 00:05:51,958 the painting was not there anymore. 122 00:05:53,250 --> 00:05:55,166 At the time, this didn't raise any alarms. 123 00:05:55,167 --> 00:05:57,082 He also assumed that the painting 124 00:05:57,083 --> 00:05:58,916 was probably being photographed. 125 00:05:58,917 --> 00:06:00,874 So Lépine is pretty upset 126 00:06:00,875 --> 00:06:03,374 because at this point the thief could be 127 00:06:03,375 --> 00:06:05,124 at least 24 hours ahead of them. 128 00:06:05,125 --> 00:06:06,999 [ominous music] 129 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,791 - [Laurence] Within hours of the theft's discovery, 130 00:06:09,792 --> 00:06:12,374 the story breaks in the Paris press 131 00:06:12,375 --> 00:06:14,457 and news services from around the world 132 00:06:14,458 --> 00:06:16,707 begin converging on the Louvre. 133 00:06:16,708 --> 00:06:20,791 Officers take to the streets in search of witnesses. 134 00:06:20,792 --> 00:06:22,041 They're in luck. 135 00:06:22,042 --> 00:06:24,624 - The police begin questioning businesses 136 00:06:24,625 --> 00:06:27,082 that are around the Louvre, 137 00:06:27,083 --> 00:06:30,624 and a department store employee describes seeing 138 00:06:30,625 --> 00:06:33,916 a man with a bulky package under his arm. 139 00:06:33,917 --> 00:06:36,999 He also says he saw the man toss something 140 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,457 into the Louvre gardens. 141 00:06:39,458 --> 00:06:41,749 - So they send police to go look in the bushes. 142 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:45,541 Lo and behold, what did they find? The doorknob. 143 00:06:45,542 --> 00:06:47,666 - The first eye witness says 144 00:06:47,667 --> 00:06:51,207 that he saw someone carrying a package under his arm. 145 00:06:51,208 --> 00:06:56,041 This was a middle aged man of trim build and average height, 146 00:06:56,042 --> 00:06:57,291 clean-shaven. 147 00:06:57,292 --> 00:06:59,041 The second eye witness, however, 148 00:06:59,042 --> 00:07:03,707 saw someone at the train station carrying a bulky package, 149 00:07:03,708 --> 00:07:08,499 but this person is revealed as a tall, heavy-set gentleman 150 00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:10,916 with a big mustache. 151 00:07:10,917 --> 00:07:14,042 Two competing ideas of what the perpetrator looks like. 152 00:07:15,167 --> 00:07:16,874 - So Lépine sets up roadblocks 153 00:07:16,875 --> 00:07:19,041 and starts investigating every car 154 00:07:19,042 --> 00:07:20,749 and truck leaving the city, 155 00:07:20,750 --> 00:07:23,374 all the way to the borders of France, 156 00:07:23,375 --> 00:07:25,042 but nothing is coming up. 157 00:07:26,542 --> 00:07:28,166 - Lépine has done everything that he could. 158 00:07:28,167 --> 00:07:30,124 One thing that he does know is 159 00:07:30,125 --> 00:07:34,541 that the frame when discarded is not marked up. 160 00:07:34,542 --> 00:07:37,041 So clearly the painting had been removed 161 00:07:37,042 --> 00:07:39,541 by someone that knew what they were doing. 162 00:07:39,542 --> 00:07:42,874 - So Lépine realizes that whoever stole the Mona Lisa 163 00:07:42,875 --> 00:07:46,499 has real experience handling fine art and working with it. 164 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:50,041 He begins to suspect that the theft of the Mona Lisa 165 00:07:50,042 --> 00:07:51,374 is an inside job. 166 00:07:51,375 --> 00:07:54,083 [dramatic music] 167 00:07:57,083 --> 00:08:00,041 - Lépine decides to set up an experiment. 168 00:08:00,042 --> 00:08:03,749 He has a replica of the Mona Lisa made 169 00:08:03,750 --> 00:08:06,249 and hung on the four pegs on the wall 170 00:08:06,250 --> 00:08:08,666 where the original would've stood. 171 00:08:08,667 --> 00:08:11,957 And first he has a couple of his police officers 172 00:08:11,958 --> 00:08:15,082 try to remove the painting and exit the building. 173 00:08:15,083 --> 00:08:17,707 - As the police officers went in and began fumbling 174 00:08:17,708 --> 00:08:20,874 and trying to remove the painting from the wall, 175 00:08:20,875 --> 00:08:22,874 Lépine kept time 176 00:08:22,875 --> 00:08:25,041 and it ended up taking about five minutes 177 00:08:25,042 --> 00:08:28,582 for the two police officers to get the wires adjusted 178 00:08:28,583 --> 00:08:32,124 and remove the painting and exit the building. 179 00:08:32,125 --> 00:08:36,082 - He then asks a museum employee to do the same thing. 180 00:08:36,083 --> 00:08:40,707 That museum employee very skillfully removes the wires 181 00:08:40,708 --> 00:08:42,875 and has it off the wall in seconds. 182 00:08:44,333 --> 00:08:47,374 - [Laurence] This experiment confirms to Lépine 183 00:08:47,375 --> 00:08:50,957 that the thief isn't just knowledgeable about museum work. 184 00:08:50,958 --> 00:08:53,874 They also know the Louvre intimately. 185 00:08:53,875 --> 00:08:56,457 - Though the Louvre is closed to the public on Monday, 186 00:08:56,458 --> 00:08:59,541 it is still a workday for much of the staff. 187 00:08:59,542 --> 00:09:01,249 - Lépine, thorough as ever, 188 00:09:01,250 --> 00:09:02,874 requests a full list of everybody 189 00:09:02,875 --> 00:09:05,041 who had access to the museum on that day 190 00:09:05,042 --> 00:09:06,374 and who came in and out. 191 00:09:06,375 --> 00:09:08,207 Nobody is above suspicion. 192 00:09:08,208 --> 00:09:12,041 - As Lépine's investigators go through this cadre of people, 193 00:09:12,042 --> 00:09:15,292 they come across the plumber by the name of Sauve. 194 00:09:16,750 --> 00:09:19,624 Sauve happened to be in the very stairwell 195 00:09:19,625 --> 00:09:24,457 where the painting frame was recovered on that morning. 196 00:09:24,458 --> 00:09:28,416 - Sauve says that he encountered somebody by this back door 197 00:09:28,417 --> 00:09:29,832 who asked to be let out 198 00:09:29,833 --> 00:09:32,957 because the doorknob had been removed from the door. 199 00:09:32,958 --> 00:09:36,874 This person, whoever it was, was wearing the white smock 200 00:09:36,875 --> 00:09:39,249 that all members of the Louvre staff wore. 201 00:09:39,250 --> 00:09:43,332 So Sauve's impression was that this was a museum employee 202 00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:45,166 who got locked inside. 203 00:09:45,167 --> 00:09:47,916 So he said, "No big deal, I'll let you out." 204 00:09:47,917 --> 00:09:50,041 - Sauve says he didn't see the frame 205 00:09:50,042 --> 00:09:53,041 or the glass on the floor or any large object, 206 00:09:53,042 --> 00:09:55,207 but he does admit that it's possible 207 00:09:55,208 --> 00:09:57,792 the man could have had it hidden under his smock. 208 00:09:59,083 --> 00:10:01,291 - [Laurence] The pressure on Lépine is already intense, 209 00:10:01,292 --> 00:10:02,874 but fortunately, 210 00:10:02,875 --> 00:10:06,291 the renowned detective has a cutting-edge technique 211 00:10:06,292 --> 00:10:07,749 at his disposal. 212 00:10:07,750 --> 00:10:10,541 - Lépine was a forward-thinking police commander. 213 00:10:10,542 --> 00:10:12,999 In fact, in Paris, he was one of the first 214 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,666 to start examining fingerprints. 215 00:10:15,667 --> 00:10:18,374 [dramatic music] 216 00:10:18,375 --> 00:10:19,666 - Lépine brings in an expert 217 00:10:19,667 --> 00:10:21,916 to analyze the frame and the glass looking 218 00:10:21,917 --> 00:10:26,332 for any telltale sign of fingerprinting or smudging. 219 00:10:26,333 --> 00:10:28,499 After examining the frame, 220 00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:30,374 he finds a fingerprint halfway 221 00:10:30,375 --> 00:10:32,499 up the left side of the glass. 222 00:10:32,500 --> 00:10:35,124 He applies a fine graphite powder 223 00:10:35,125 --> 00:10:37,207 and he's able to actually lift the fingerprint 224 00:10:37,208 --> 00:10:38,000 off the frame. 225 00:10:39,208 --> 00:10:41,916 - Lépine and his men compare the fingerprint 226 00:10:41,917 --> 00:10:43,791 that's found on the glass case 227 00:10:43,792 --> 00:10:45,916 to the fingerprints of the Louvre staff. 228 00:10:45,917 --> 00:10:48,916 256 staff members who were there 229 00:10:48,917 --> 00:10:52,207 between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning. 230 00:10:52,208 --> 00:10:53,625 That takes a long time. 231 00:10:55,292 --> 00:10:57,416 - [Laurence] Determined to uncover a lead, 232 00:10:57,417 --> 00:10:59,374 Lépine also orders interrogations 233 00:10:59,375 --> 00:11:04,250 of all the museum's employees, including Sauve, the plumber. 234 00:11:05,542 --> 00:11:09,082 - Sauve is asked to look at a couple hundred photographs 235 00:11:09,083 --> 00:11:12,582 of Louvre staff, employees, contractors. 236 00:11:12,583 --> 00:11:16,291 He doesn't recognize the man he saw in the service stairwell 237 00:11:16,292 --> 00:11:18,832 among any of those photographs. 238 00:11:18,833 --> 00:11:22,457 - Meanwhile, news of the disappearance of the Mona Lisa 239 00:11:22,458 --> 00:11:27,625 has reached the press and there is public fury over this. 240 00:11:28,875 --> 00:11:30,042 Why hasn't this priceless painting been found? 241 00:11:34,083 --> 00:11:36,707 - In the days following the Mona Lisa theft, 242 00:11:36,708 --> 00:11:38,249 police interrogations of museum employees 243 00:11:38,250 --> 00:11:39,707 lead to a dead end. 244 00:11:39,708 --> 00:11:42,207 But Paris detective Louis Lépine 245 00:11:42,208 --> 00:11:45,416 still believes it was an inside job 246 00:11:45,417 --> 00:11:48,249 and continues questioning staff. 247 00:11:48,250 --> 00:11:52,707 For many in the media, Lépine's process isn't fast enough. 248 00:11:52,708 --> 00:11:54,374 - The press is going crazy: 249 00:11:54,375 --> 00:11:57,291 The Mona Lisa is a national treasure that has been stolen. 250 00:11:57,292 --> 00:12:00,541 And Lépine, who is this world-famous detective, 251 00:12:00,542 --> 00:12:02,291 doesn't seem to be able to solve this. 252 00:12:02,292 --> 00:12:06,082 So the papers start really taking him to task for this. 253 00:12:06,083 --> 00:12:08,874 - On the one hand, you have the official investigation 254 00:12:08,875 --> 00:12:11,582 happening within the Paris Police department, 255 00:12:11,583 --> 00:12:14,707 but then you start seeing the media 256 00:12:14,708 --> 00:12:16,458 start doing their own sleuthing. 257 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,707 - [Laurence] A wire story coming out of the United States 258 00:12:20,708 --> 00:12:23,375 turns the spotlight on a new suspect. 259 00:12:24,375 --> 00:12:25,999 - His name is Eddie Guerin, 260 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,041 a notorious thief with a huge rap sheet 261 00:12:29,042 --> 00:12:31,125 on both sides of the Atlantic. 262 00:12:32,542 --> 00:12:36,999 - He is a guy who is known for committing big crimes 263 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,541 and for getting away with it. 264 00:12:39,542 --> 00:12:41,624 - He's been a huge critic of the French government 265 00:12:41,625 --> 00:12:43,291 and according to one friend, 266 00:12:43,292 --> 00:12:46,207 he's even confessed to the crime. 267 00:12:46,208 --> 00:12:48,958 [dramatic music] 268 00:12:51,375 --> 00:12:53,791 [tense music] 269 00:12:53,792 --> 00:12:56,166 - The theory was a little convoluted as reported, 270 00:12:56,167 --> 00:12:58,707 but the idea was that Guerin had promised 271 00:12:58,708 --> 00:13:00,624 this wealthy Philadelphia businessman 272 00:13:00,625 --> 00:13:04,207 that for a million dollars he would sell him the Mona Lisa. 273 00:13:04,208 --> 00:13:05,791 - [Laurence] And such a claim would not be 274 00:13:05,792 --> 00:13:07,749 out of character for Guerin, 275 00:13:07,750 --> 00:13:09,791 who pulled off some daring heists 276 00:13:09,792 --> 00:13:13,000 and became a career criminal at a young age. 277 00:13:14,167 --> 00:13:17,541 - Eddie Guerin is born in 1860 in London, 278 00:13:17,542 --> 00:13:22,124 but his family moves to Chicago when he's at a young age 279 00:13:22,125 --> 00:13:25,457 with the dream of striking it rich, 280 00:13:25,458 --> 00:13:30,374 but his father dies and his mother is left to struggle. 281 00:13:30,375 --> 00:13:33,874 - So Eddie gets his first job delivering telegrams, 282 00:13:33,875 --> 00:13:35,624 and he realizes that's a good way 283 00:13:35,625 --> 00:13:37,791 to start picking up little items 284 00:13:37,792 --> 00:13:40,082 that people maybe don't know are missing. 285 00:13:40,083 --> 00:13:43,207 And he eventually builds up to bigger and bigger thefts. 286 00:13:43,208 --> 00:13:45,458 And before long, he's already doing time. 287 00:13:47,042 --> 00:13:50,541 - By age 16, Guerin is in and out of detention centers. 288 00:13:50,542 --> 00:13:53,582 This kid has become a thief in his own right, 289 00:13:53,583 --> 00:13:54,999 but more importantly, 290 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,624 each time he goes to one of those prison settings, 291 00:13:57,625 --> 00:14:00,916 he learns the craft from the experts. 292 00:14:00,917 --> 00:14:02,166 - [Laurence] Soon after Guerin 293 00:14:02,167 --> 00:14:04,541 hones his thieving skills behind bars, 294 00:14:04,542 --> 00:14:06,249 his crimes evolve 295 00:14:06,250 --> 00:14:09,082 into high profile thefts around the world, 296 00:14:09,083 --> 00:14:11,207 making him a prime candidate 297 00:14:11,208 --> 00:14:14,124 in the case of the missing Mona Lisa. 298 00:14:14,125 --> 00:14:16,124 - By the time he's in his early 20s, 299 00:14:16,125 --> 00:14:18,124 he's traveled all over the East Coast 300 00:14:18,125 --> 00:14:19,707 and also throughout Europe, 301 00:14:19,708 --> 00:14:21,041 pulling off bank robberies 302 00:14:21,042 --> 00:14:23,207 with a bunch of criminal associates. 303 00:14:23,208 --> 00:14:26,916 In 1888, in France, he had robbed the Credit Lyonnais bank 304 00:14:26,917 --> 00:14:29,999 to the tune of $2 million in today's money. 305 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,457 And in 1901, he robbed the American Express office in Paris 306 00:14:33,458 --> 00:14:36,500 to the tune of $8 million in today's money. 307 00:14:38,042 --> 00:14:40,332 - [Laurence] When he's finally caught and convicted, 308 00:14:40,333 --> 00:14:43,958 French authorities sentence him to life on Devil's Island. 309 00:14:45,292 --> 00:14:48,207 - Devil's Island is a really treacherous penal colony 310 00:14:48,208 --> 00:14:51,582 off the coast of French Guiana in South America, 311 00:14:51,583 --> 00:14:54,124 and it's a place where conditions are so bad 312 00:14:54,125 --> 00:14:57,875 that life sentences usually don't last that long. 313 00:14:59,167 --> 00:15:03,707 - Incredibly, in 1905, Eddie Guerin becomes the second 314 00:15:03,708 --> 00:15:08,457 of only two people ever to escape from Devil's Island, 315 00:15:08,458 --> 00:15:12,416 and he does so by carving out from a log a boat 316 00:15:12,417 --> 00:15:17,125 which he paddles 200 miles from Devil's Island to the coast. 317 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,749 Once he gets to French Guiana, 318 00:15:19,750 --> 00:15:21,374 he bribes a government agent 319 00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:22,874 to help get him out of the country. 320 00:15:22,875 --> 00:15:25,749 So Eddie Guerin becomes the stuff of legend 321 00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:27,541 around the world. 322 00:15:27,542 --> 00:15:30,332 - After Guerin's escape from Devil's Island, 323 00:15:30,333 --> 00:15:33,291 he fades out of the news for a while, 324 00:15:33,292 --> 00:15:36,999 but after this audacious theft of the Mona Lisa, 325 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,917 his name suddenly bubbles back up to the surface. 326 00:15:42,125 --> 00:15:45,207 - [Laurence] On August 24th, 1911, 327 00:15:45,208 --> 00:15:48,541 newspapers all over the United States run a story 328 00:15:48,542 --> 00:15:51,541 that points the finger squarely at Guerin. 329 00:15:51,542 --> 00:15:55,041 - A rumor circulates that Guerin has had a forgery 330 00:15:55,042 --> 00:15:57,874 of the Mona Lisa made that he plans to sell 331 00:15:57,875 --> 00:16:00,874 to a wealthy Philadelphia businessman, 332 00:16:00,875 --> 00:16:03,791 but when the businessman begins to suspect 333 00:16:03,792 --> 00:16:06,082 that something fishy might be going on, 334 00:16:06,083 --> 00:16:07,541 Guerin has no choice 335 00:16:07,542 --> 00:16:10,542 but to break into the Louvre and steal the real thing. 336 00:16:12,292 --> 00:16:14,124 - In an interesting twist to this story, 337 00:16:14,125 --> 00:16:15,374 that government agent 338 00:16:15,375 --> 00:16:17,957 that helped Guerin escape Devil's Island 339 00:16:17,958 --> 00:16:21,957 later reports that he actually received a letter from Guerin 340 00:16:21,958 --> 00:16:24,832 days before the theft of the Mona Lisa, 341 00:16:24,833 --> 00:16:26,167 in which Guerin says, 342 00:16:26,333 --> 00:16:29,624 "I am going to take something from the French government 343 00:16:29,625 --> 00:16:31,749 that they'll never get back," 344 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:33,249 indicating that this would be an 345 00:16:33,250 --> 00:16:36,041 incredibly satisfying moment for him 346 00:16:36,042 --> 00:16:38,625 to punish the government that had punished him. 347 00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:44,249 - The French public is following this story of Eddie Guerin 348 00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:47,457 and his purported connection to the theft of the Mona Lisa, 349 00:16:47,458 --> 00:16:50,541 and each day it sells more and more newspapers 350 00:16:50,542 --> 00:16:54,874 because everyone wants to know what happened next. 351 00:16:54,875 --> 00:16:57,249 - So an investigator tries to find Guerin, 352 00:16:57,250 --> 00:16:59,541 and eventually does. 353 00:16:59,542 --> 00:17:02,582 He's working in London, he's gone straight, 354 00:17:02,583 --> 00:17:05,166 and he's working in a men's furnishing store. 355 00:17:05,167 --> 00:17:08,166 His alibi seems pretty solid, 356 00:17:08,167 --> 00:17:10,457 but Guerin's a sneaky character. 357 00:17:10,458 --> 00:17:13,707 It's possible he could have spent all this time 358 00:17:13,708 --> 00:17:17,457 building up an alibi so that he could sneak into France 359 00:17:17,458 --> 00:17:19,667 and sneak back without anybody noticing. 360 00:17:24,167 --> 00:17:25,707 - [Laurence] On Tuesday, August 29th, 361 00:17:25,708 --> 00:17:28,582 exactly one week after the Mona Lisa was declared missing, 362 00:17:28,583 --> 00:17:31,916 the Louvre reopens to an enormous crowd. 363 00:17:31,917 --> 00:17:34,332 Thousands of people swarmed the museum 364 00:17:34,333 --> 00:17:38,332 and head to the Salon Carré to stare at the vacant wall 365 00:17:38,333 --> 00:17:40,374 where the painting once hung. 366 00:17:40,375 --> 00:17:42,749 - They weep openly in front of it, 367 00:17:42,750 --> 00:17:45,207 people bring flowers and letters. 368 00:17:45,208 --> 00:17:46,166 It's a mob scene. 369 00:17:46,167 --> 00:17:47,582 [crowds chatter] 370 00:17:47,583 --> 00:17:48,707 - Up until the heist, 371 00:17:48,708 --> 00:17:51,374 the Mona Lisa was best known among art critics 372 00:17:51,375 --> 00:17:53,624 and kind of insiders in the museum world, 373 00:17:53,625 --> 00:17:56,957 but this heist made her an international superstar. 374 00:17:56,958 --> 00:17:58,957 - People who in a million years 375 00:17:58,958 --> 00:18:02,166 would've never visited a museum, 376 00:18:02,167 --> 00:18:05,042 are there to see the site of the crime. 377 00:18:06,542 --> 00:18:07,957 - [Laurence] In the wake of the theft, 378 00:18:07,958 --> 00:18:09,541 the floundering investigation 379 00:18:09,542 --> 00:18:11,707 is becoming a public embarrassment 380 00:18:11,708 --> 00:18:13,000 for the Paris Police, 381 00:18:13,167 --> 00:18:16,374 and Detective Lépine is running out of suspects. 382 00:18:16,375 --> 00:18:18,791 - The newspaper, the "Paris-Journal," 383 00:18:18,792 --> 00:18:21,374 announces its own investigation 384 00:18:21,375 --> 00:18:24,707 and says that it will give 50,000 francs, 385 00:18:24,708 --> 00:18:27,624 which is nearly $2 million in today's money, 386 00:18:27,625 --> 00:18:31,582 to whoever returns the Mona Lisa to their offices. 387 00:18:31,583 --> 00:18:33,541 No questions asked. 388 00:18:33,542 --> 00:18:35,416 - [Laura] The news of this reward 389 00:18:35,417 --> 00:18:37,166 for the return of the Mona Lisa 390 00:18:37,167 --> 00:18:39,791 brings a lot of people out of the woodwork 391 00:18:39,792 --> 00:18:44,750 and suddenly the newspaper offices are flooded with tips 392 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:47,667 that might lead them to the Mona Lisa. 393 00:18:48,875 --> 00:18:51,541 - [Laurence] The same day that the museum reopens, 394 00:18:51,542 --> 00:18:54,541 the Paris-Journal runs a shocking front page story 395 00:18:54,542 --> 00:18:57,832 about a brazen thief who responded to their request 396 00:18:57,833 --> 00:18:59,707 for the Mona Lisa's return. 397 00:18:59,708 --> 00:19:02,374 - This man described as "in his early 20s 398 00:19:02,375 --> 00:19:04,416 and with a certain American chic." 399 00:19:04,417 --> 00:19:06,624 Admits in an anonymous letter 400 00:19:06,625 --> 00:19:09,291 that he has been stealing priceless artifacts 401 00:19:09,292 --> 00:19:11,666 from the museum for the last four years, 402 00:19:11,667 --> 00:19:14,749 including ancient busts. 403 00:19:14,750 --> 00:19:17,541 - Now, the letter writer doesn't say he has the Mona Lisa, 404 00:19:17,542 --> 00:19:19,957 but he does say he's willing to return some of these busts. 405 00:19:19,958 --> 00:19:22,916 So to exchange for what is about a thousand dollars a day, 406 00:19:22,917 --> 00:19:24,957 the thief returns a small statue 407 00:19:24,958 --> 00:19:27,582 and makes a full confession to the paper. 408 00:19:27,583 --> 00:19:31,874 - The paper publishes his confession verbatim: 409 00:19:31,875 --> 00:19:34,207 It was March, 1907 that I entered the Louvre 410 00:19:34,208 --> 00:19:35,749 for the first time, 411 00:19:35,750 --> 00:19:38,207 a young man with time to kill and no money to spend. 412 00:19:38,208 --> 00:19:40,374 A single guard was sitting motionless. 413 00:19:40,375 --> 00:19:42,832 I suddenly realized how easy it would be 414 00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:47,667 to pick up and take away almost any object of moderate size. 415 00:19:49,042 --> 00:19:50,624 - [Laurence] The thief goes on to detail 416 00:19:50,625 --> 00:19:54,124 a number of other objects he's stolen over the years, 417 00:19:54,125 --> 00:19:56,374 including a pair of Iberian busts 418 00:19:56,375 --> 00:19:58,874 he sold to a friend in the art world. 419 00:19:58,875 --> 00:20:02,416 - This guy is bragging about lifting stuff from the Louvre 420 00:20:02,417 --> 00:20:05,749 just like someone would collect shells from the beach. 421 00:20:05,750 --> 00:20:08,791 - Because this anonymous letter writer talks 422 00:20:08,792 --> 00:20:12,041 so openly about how easy it is to steal things 423 00:20:12,042 --> 00:20:13,624 from the Louvre, 424 00:20:13,625 --> 00:20:17,374 the public begins to wonder if this person is the same one 425 00:20:17,375 --> 00:20:18,917 who took the Mona Lisa. 426 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,667 [dramatic music] 427 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,499 [tense music] 428 00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:28,082 - The next day, on August 30th, 429 00:20:28,083 --> 00:20:31,916 the paper reports on a second encounter with the thief 430 00:20:31,917 --> 00:20:36,124 and he writes in a letter that he's not a career criminal. 431 00:20:36,125 --> 00:20:37,541 He just wandered into this life 432 00:20:37,542 --> 00:20:39,541 because of financial difficulties, 433 00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:43,583 and he signs the letter Baron Ignace Dormeson. 434 00:20:44,625 --> 00:20:45,499 [tense music] 435 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:46,707 - [Laurence] That same day, 436 00:20:46,708 --> 00:20:48,707 the bust he turned over is authenticated 437 00:20:48,708 --> 00:20:52,791 and put on display in the "Paris-Journal's" front window. 438 00:20:52,792 --> 00:20:56,874 Hundreds of people jammed the paper's office for a glimpse. 439 00:20:56,875 --> 00:20:58,457 - The Louvre confirms 440 00:20:58,458 --> 00:21:01,957 that these small prehistoric carved bust 441 00:21:01,958 --> 00:21:05,749 from the Iberian Peninsula are indeed missing 442 00:21:05,750 --> 00:21:07,457 from their collection. 443 00:21:07,458 --> 00:21:10,874 Now there's added pressure to have these new objects 444 00:21:10,875 --> 00:21:13,332 returned to the Louvre as well. 445 00:21:13,333 --> 00:21:15,374 - So this so-called [speaks French] 446 00:21:15,375 --> 00:21:17,624 becomes a public spectacle. 447 00:21:17,625 --> 00:21:20,249 Could this be connected to the Mona Lisa as well? 448 00:21:20,250 --> 00:21:22,124 And the paper runs with this. 449 00:21:22,125 --> 00:21:23,999 People are eating it up, 450 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,457 and they are ridiculing the museum and the police 451 00:21:27,458 --> 00:21:29,874 because the paper is doing more than the police 452 00:21:29,875 --> 00:21:31,666 in their eyes. 453 00:21:31,667 --> 00:21:33,582 [tense music] 454 00:21:33,583 --> 00:21:36,207 - [Laurence] Lépine and his men are not amused. 455 00:21:36,208 --> 00:21:38,041 They're convinced the thief could now be 456 00:21:38,042 --> 00:21:41,374 smuggling the Mona Lisa out of the country. 457 00:21:41,375 --> 00:21:44,791 - Officers from the Paris Police bust into the offices 458 00:21:44,792 --> 00:21:46,041 of the "Paris-Journal" 459 00:21:46,042 --> 00:21:49,166 and they tell them to reveal anything that they know 460 00:21:49,167 --> 00:21:51,249 about the man who sent these letters, 461 00:21:51,250 --> 00:21:52,916 but citing professional ethics, 462 00:21:52,917 --> 00:21:56,332 the arts editor refuses to reveal their sources, 463 00:21:56,333 --> 00:21:59,749 and this only further frustrates investigators. 464 00:21:59,750 --> 00:22:02,041 - The police carry out their own search 465 00:22:02,042 --> 00:22:03,249 of the public records 466 00:22:03,250 --> 00:22:07,666 to find any reference to a Baron Ignace Dormeson. 467 00:22:07,667 --> 00:22:09,874 There's no one in France by that name, 468 00:22:09,875 --> 00:22:12,916 but they find out that it is the name 469 00:22:12,917 --> 00:22:15,041 of a fictional character 470 00:22:15,042 --> 00:22:19,832 in an award-winning collection of stories in France. 471 00:22:19,833 --> 00:22:22,499 - [Laurence] As for the man who wrote those stories, 472 00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:26,624 he is celebrated writer Guillaume Apollinaire. 473 00:22:26,625 --> 00:22:29,499 - Apollinaire is a true renaissance man. 474 00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:32,457 He's a poet, a playwright, an art critic, 475 00:22:32,458 --> 00:22:36,916 and he's even credited with coining the term surrealism. 476 00:22:36,917 --> 00:22:38,041 He was born in Italy 477 00:22:38,042 --> 00:22:40,707 and grew up speaking French, Italian and Polish, 478 00:22:40,708 --> 00:22:43,374 and he emigrated to France as a teenager 479 00:22:43,375 --> 00:22:45,958 where he took up the pen name Apollinaire. 480 00:22:47,375 --> 00:22:49,374 - The authorities start to look a lot more closely 481 00:22:49,375 --> 00:22:51,707 at Apollinaire's background and his writing, 482 00:22:51,708 --> 00:22:54,541 and they realized that just three days after the theft, 483 00:22:54,542 --> 00:22:58,082 he had written about how beautiful the Mona Lisa was 484 00:22:58,083 --> 00:23:00,207 and was condemning the Louvre. 485 00:23:00,208 --> 00:23:01,916 The Mona Lisa was so beautiful 486 00:23:01,917 --> 00:23:04,832 that her perfection has come to be taken for granted: 487 00:23:04,833 --> 00:23:06,457 But what shall we say of the guard 488 00:23:06,458 --> 00:23:08,541 that watches the gates of the Louvre? 489 00:23:08,542 --> 00:23:12,041 - Apollinaire comments on the lax security of the Louvre. 490 00:23:12,042 --> 00:23:14,541 The paintings aren't padlocked to the walls 491 00:23:14,542 --> 00:23:17,082 the way they are at most other museums. 492 00:23:17,083 --> 00:23:20,416 Anybody could just go and take the thing off the wall. 493 00:23:20,417 --> 00:23:23,207 He refers to the situation as careless, 494 00:23:23,208 --> 00:23:24,833 indifferent, even negligent. 495 00:23:25,875 --> 00:23:27,874 - Apollinaire once signed a manifesto 496 00:23:27,875 --> 00:23:31,707 condemning the old institutions of the arts, 497 00:23:31,708 --> 00:23:34,207 saying they should be abolished. 498 00:23:34,208 --> 00:23:35,541 [tense music] 499 00:23:35,542 --> 00:23:37,166 - [Laurence] While Apollinaire's writings 500 00:23:37,167 --> 00:23:38,707 are largely symbolic, 501 00:23:38,708 --> 00:23:41,666 they sound alarm bells for the detectives 502 00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:43,541 on the Mona Lisa case. 503 00:23:43,542 --> 00:23:47,041 - Police quickly realize that he is part 504 00:23:47,042 --> 00:23:49,624 of a whole community of artists 505 00:23:49,625 --> 00:23:53,166 who are trying to turn French artistic tradition 506 00:23:53,167 --> 00:23:54,791 on its head. 507 00:23:54,792 --> 00:23:57,791 - As Lépine begins to learn more about the artists 508 00:23:57,792 --> 00:24:00,041 who move about in Apollinaire's circle, 509 00:24:00,042 --> 00:24:03,249 he starts to suspect that maybe Apollinaire 510 00:24:03,250 --> 00:24:04,792 didn't act alone. 511 00:24:08,667 --> 00:24:10,374 - Exactly two weeks after the Mona Lisa was stolen, 512 00:24:10,375 --> 00:24:13,707 the case has taken a new turn with investigators, 513 00:24:13,708 --> 00:24:17,332 who now wonder if the theft was a political act 514 00:24:17,333 --> 00:24:18,791 carried out by modern artists 515 00:24:18,792 --> 00:24:21,625 with a grudge against traditional institutions. 516 00:24:22,625 --> 00:24:25,832 Detective Louis Lépine theorizes that the thief 517 00:24:25,833 --> 00:24:29,082 who triggered the affaires des statuettes 518 00:24:29,083 --> 00:24:30,541 could be part of a larger gang 519 00:24:30,542 --> 00:24:32,749 that's holding the painting hostage. 520 00:24:32,750 --> 00:24:35,249 The heat is on to identify the thief 521 00:24:35,250 --> 00:24:38,457 who wrote to the "Paris-Journal" 522 00:24:38,458 --> 00:24:41,291 and his entire band of associates. 523 00:24:41,292 --> 00:24:43,707 - [Kavitha] On September 6th, 524 00:24:43,708 --> 00:24:46,582 the Paris-Journal publishes a shocking story. 525 00:24:46,583 --> 00:24:47,749 The two Iberian busts 526 00:24:47,750 --> 00:24:50,082 that had been purchased from the baron 527 00:24:50,083 --> 00:24:52,666 were returned to the newspaper the day before. 528 00:24:52,667 --> 00:24:54,124 - [John] This leads the police 529 00:24:54,125 --> 00:24:56,041 to go to Apollinaire's apartment 530 00:24:56,042 --> 00:24:58,416 and they bring him in for questioning. 531 00:24:58,417 --> 00:24:59,541 They are determined that they're gonna find out 532 00:24:59,542 --> 00:25:00,833 what's happened to these statuettes. 533 00:25:02,792 --> 00:25:03,957 - And they say that an anonymous source 534 00:25:03,958 --> 00:25:06,832 has linked Apollinaire with the fictional baron 535 00:25:06,833 --> 00:25:09,291 who has admitted to stealing all of these artifacts 536 00:25:09,292 --> 00:25:10,791 from the Louvre. 537 00:25:10,792 --> 00:25:12,916 - So Lépine is convinced that there is a direct connection 538 00:25:12,917 --> 00:25:15,082 between the theft of Iberian busts 539 00:25:15,083 --> 00:25:16,541 and the theft of Mona Lisa, 540 00:25:16,542 --> 00:25:19,207 and that Apollinaire is the ringleader 541 00:25:19,208 --> 00:25:22,666 behind the gang that made both of these thefts happen. 542 00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:25,332 - [Laura] The police begin to wonder if perhaps 543 00:25:25,333 --> 00:25:27,832 they're dealing not with one thief, 544 00:25:27,833 --> 00:25:31,541 but a whole network of organized criminals. 545 00:25:31,542 --> 00:25:34,500 [dramatic music] 546 00:25:36,292 --> 00:25:39,041 [tense music] 547 00:25:39,042 --> 00:25:41,457 - [John] Lépine and his men spend hours 548 00:25:41,458 --> 00:25:43,374 grilling Apollinaire. 549 00:25:43,375 --> 00:25:44,874 They tell him, 550 00:25:44,875 --> 00:25:47,582 "If you don't reveal to us the identity of the baron, 551 00:25:47,583 --> 00:25:50,582 we are going to charge you with harboring a criminal, 552 00:25:50,583 --> 00:25:52,999 with possession of stolen goods, 553 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,833 and with interfering with a police investigation." 554 00:25:56,708 --> 00:25:58,582 - [Laurence] Apollinaire finally cracks 555 00:25:58,583 --> 00:26:01,791 and identifies the thief as Gery-Pieret, 556 00:26:01,792 --> 00:26:03,666 a struggling Belgian artist 557 00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:06,332 who'd been living in Apollinaire's apartment 558 00:26:06,333 --> 00:26:08,291 and working as his secretary. 559 00:26:08,292 --> 00:26:09,624 - Having come clean, 560 00:26:09,625 --> 00:26:11,916 Apollinaire assumes now he'll be free. 561 00:26:11,917 --> 00:26:13,249 Not so fast. 562 00:26:13,250 --> 00:26:16,791 Instead, he's taken to prison and interrogated once again. 563 00:26:16,792 --> 00:26:19,499 - Lépine is relentless. He is pushing him. 564 00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:21,707 I want the names. I want your associates. 565 00:26:21,708 --> 00:26:23,457 Who else was involved in the theft 566 00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:26,249 and who purchased these statues? 567 00:26:26,250 --> 00:26:29,457 - Apollinaire is just digging himself deeper and deeper 568 00:26:29,458 --> 00:26:31,208 as the investigation goes on. 569 00:26:32,542 --> 00:26:34,124 He admits that on the day of the heist, 570 00:26:34,125 --> 00:26:38,124 he had actually bought Pieret a train ticket to Marseille 571 00:26:38,125 --> 00:26:40,833 and urged him to get out of town as quickly as possible. 572 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,249 - A day after the papers published the news 573 00:26:44,250 --> 00:26:45,832 of Apollinaire's arrest, 574 00:26:45,833 --> 00:26:48,457 the "Paris-Journal" gets another letter from the baron, 575 00:26:48,458 --> 00:26:50,416 who's now identified as Pieret. 576 00:26:50,417 --> 00:26:53,916 He's in Brussels far out of the reach of the Paris Police, 577 00:26:53,917 --> 00:26:55,707 but he insists that his old boss 578 00:26:55,708 --> 00:26:58,999 had nothing to do with the thefts of the busts. 579 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:00,916 - Apollinaire swears up and down 580 00:27:00,917 --> 00:27:03,624 he has nothing to do with the theft of the Mona Lisa, 581 00:27:03,625 --> 00:27:05,874 but Apollinaire as a foreigner 582 00:27:05,875 --> 00:27:07,583 makes a convenient scapegoat. 583 00:27:09,208 --> 00:27:11,541 - Lépine doesn't believe Apollinaire's story. 584 00:27:11,542 --> 00:27:15,707 He tells him that if he doesn't reveal the name 585 00:27:15,708 --> 00:27:18,207 of others who have bought these statuettes, 586 00:27:18,208 --> 00:27:20,916 that they will go after all of his friends 587 00:27:20,917 --> 00:27:24,041 in this community of artists. 588 00:27:24,042 --> 00:27:26,124 - Eventually Apollinaire breaks 589 00:27:26,125 --> 00:27:28,957 and identifies the man who bought the bust from Pieret 590 00:27:28,958 --> 00:27:33,125 as an up-and-coming artist named Pablo Picasso. 591 00:27:34,458 --> 00:27:35,832 - [Laurence] Like Apollinaire, 592 00:27:35,833 --> 00:27:37,874 the young Spanish painter is a foreigner 593 00:27:37,875 --> 00:27:40,749 who's called for the destruction of the Louvre. 594 00:27:40,750 --> 00:27:43,707 Both men are part of a group of artistic firebrands 595 00:27:43,708 --> 00:27:47,916 known around town as the Wild Men of Paris. 596 00:27:47,917 --> 00:27:51,082 - Lépine now believes that this group of artists 597 00:27:51,083 --> 00:27:55,416 is a gang sophisticated and motivated enough 598 00:27:55,417 --> 00:27:57,582 to steal the Mona Lisa. 599 00:27:57,583 --> 00:27:59,916 - Two days after Apollinaire is arrested, 600 00:27:59,917 --> 00:28:02,832 police show up at Picasso's apartment 601 00:28:02,833 --> 00:28:04,791 and arrest him as well. 602 00:28:04,792 --> 00:28:06,416 [tense music] 603 00:28:06,417 --> 00:28:07,582 - Inside the apartment, 604 00:28:07,583 --> 00:28:09,874 Picasso was working on a new painting 605 00:28:09,875 --> 00:28:13,541 with large scale female nudes all painted 606 00:28:13,542 --> 00:28:16,374 in a very abstract manner. 607 00:28:16,375 --> 00:28:18,541 Picasso was actually using 608 00:28:18,542 --> 00:28:21,041 these prehistoric Iberian statuettes 609 00:28:21,042 --> 00:28:24,541 as an inspiration for the faces of the women 610 00:28:24,542 --> 00:28:26,874 in this monumental painting. 611 00:28:26,875 --> 00:28:28,832 If the police had taken the time 612 00:28:28,833 --> 00:28:32,666 to really examine Picasso's new work in progress, 613 00:28:32,667 --> 00:28:34,749 they would've realized that the evidence 614 00:28:34,750 --> 00:28:37,667 was staring at them in plain sight. 615 00:28:38,917 --> 00:28:41,499 - Picasso is literally shaking with fear 616 00:28:41,500 --> 00:28:42,957 as he's brought to the police station 617 00:28:42,958 --> 00:28:44,541 and brought before the magistrate. 618 00:28:44,542 --> 00:28:49,082 There he sees a Apollinaire similarly disheveled and broken. 619 00:28:49,083 --> 00:28:52,166 Picasso denies that he's ever had anything to do 620 00:28:52,167 --> 00:28:55,332 with the theft of the statuettes or anything else. 621 00:28:55,333 --> 00:28:56,916 Beyond that, he says, 622 00:28:56,917 --> 00:28:59,791 "I have never even seen this man, Apollinaire, in my life." 623 00:28:59,792 --> 00:29:02,374 [tense music continues] 624 00:29:02,375 --> 00:29:04,666 - [Laurence] Both men endure several more days 625 00:29:04,667 --> 00:29:06,332 of intense interrogation 626 00:29:06,333 --> 00:29:09,249 before finally appearing before a judge. 627 00:29:09,250 --> 00:29:12,541 - Apollinaire and Picasso are both said to have cried 628 00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:16,332 and apologized profusely for stealing any of the artifacts 629 00:29:16,333 --> 00:29:17,707 from the Louvre. 630 00:29:17,708 --> 00:29:19,457 But they both insist that they had nothing to do 631 00:29:19,458 --> 00:29:21,916 with the theft of the Mona Lisa. 632 00:29:21,917 --> 00:29:25,041 - As much as Lépine thought he had cracked the case, 633 00:29:25,042 --> 00:29:27,082 judges failed to find any evidence 634 00:29:27,083 --> 00:29:30,707 that links definitively Apollinaire, Picasso, 635 00:29:30,708 --> 00:29:33,791 or Gery-Pieret to the theft of the Mona Lisa. 636 00:29:33,792 --> 00:29:35,749 - Eventually they're released 637 00:29:35,750 --> 00:29:38,416 and the trail once again goes cold, 638 00:29:38,417 --> 00:29:43,125 and the Paris Police have to come up with some new ideas. 639 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,457 - [Laurence] As days turn to weeks, 640 00:29:48,458 --> 00:29:51,166 investigators looking into the Mona Lisa heist 641 00:29:51,167 --> 00:29:54,207 are chasing leads that go nowhere. 642 00:29:54,208 --> 00:29:56,707 Eventually, the Paris Police are forced 643 00:29:56,708 --> 00:29:59,832 to look deeper at Louvre insiders. 644 00:29:59,833 --> 00:30:04,374 - They continue to fingerprint the Louvre employees 645 00:30:04,375 --> 00:30:05,832 and contractors, 646 00:30:05,833 --> 00:30:07,874 but they've come up empty-handed, 647 00:30:07,875 --> 00:30:10,499 and the French public is getting impatient 648 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:12,207 with their methods. 649 00:30:12,208 --> 00:30:14,166 - After Lépine had exhausted 650 00:30:14,167 --> 00:30:16,082 all of the traditional forms of evidence, 651 00:30:16,083 --> 00:30:18,082 he still was at ground zero. 652 00:30:18,083 --> 00:30:19,582 And so he decided that he would look 653 00:30:19,583 --> 00:30:24,499 into the newest form of behavioral evidence, profiling. 654 00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:27,749 And as he did that, he started to recognize again 655 00:30:27,750 --> 00:30:31,207 and reevaluate and then re-theorize 656 00:30:31,208 --> 00:30:33,874 based on the things that he knows about, 657 00:30:33,875 --> 00:30:35,791 that the person had intimate knowledge 658 00:30:35,792 --> 00:30:37,042 about the painting. 659 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,582 - Lépine and his forces ascertained 660 00:30:40,583 --> 00:30:43,874 that this criminal must be educated, 661 00:30:43,875 --> 00:30:47,499 must be in the know, must be wealthy. 662 00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:51,082 - This clearly had to be someone either as a buyer 663 00:30:51,083 --> 00:30:53,041 that was a lover of art, 664 00:30:53,042 --> 00:30:56,124 or the thief themselves was stealing this painting 665 00:30:56,125 --> 00:30:59,207 to keep in their own personal collection. 666 00:30:59,208 --> 00:31:02,083 [dramatic music] 667 00:31:03,833 --> 00:31:05,874 [tense music] 668 00:31:05,875 --> 00:31:08,374 - [Laura] Although Leonardo da Vinci left behind 669 00:31:08,375 --> 00:31:11,166 thousands of drawings, 670 00:31:11,167 --> 00:31:15,624 he only left behind fewer than 20 paintings. 671 00:31:15,625 --> 00:31:19,082 And the Mona Lisa is so emblematic 672 00:31:19,083 --> 00:31:20,749 of the Italian Renaissance, 673 00:31:20,750 --> 00:31:24,374 a painting like this would be the crown jewel 674 00:31:24,375 --> 00:31:26,624 of any art collection. 675 00:31:26,625 --> 00:31:30,374 - Even Napoleon was enamored by the woman in the painting 676 00:31:30,375 --> 00:31:32,707 and he took the painting from the Louvre 677 00:31:32,708 --> 00:31:38,000 and hung it in his private bed chambers from 1800 to 1804, 678 00:31:38,208 --> 00:31:40,207 - [Laurence] A little over 100 years later, 679 00:31:40,208 --> 00:31:43,666 investigators wonder if another powerful man 680 00:31:43,667 --> 00:31:46,457 took the portrait for himself. 681 00:31:46,458 --> 00:31:48,166 - Around the time of the Mona Lisa theft, 682 00:31:48,167 --> 00:31:51,082 American entrepreneurs are traveling around Europe 683 00:31:51,083 --> 00:31:54,582 and buying art at a frenzied pace throughout the continent. 684 00:31:54,583 --> 00:31:57,832 And among those collectors is John Pierpont Morgan, 685 00:31:57,833 --> 00:31:59,083 J.P. Morgan. 686 00:32:00,083 --> 00:32:02,082 - This is a former railroad tycoon 687 00:32:02,083 --> 00:32:04,874 who works in the upper echelons of not just industry, 688 00:32:04,875 --> 00:32:06,541 but also politics. 689 00:32:06,542 --> 00:32:09,249 - J.P. Morgan is responsible for the formation 690 00:32:09,250 --> 00:32:11,499 of major multinational corporations, 691 00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:14,291 like General Electric and U.S. Steel. 692 00:32:14,292 --> 00:32:17,041 He also has a hand as a major investor in companies 693 00:32:17,042 --> 00:32:19,000 like Western Union and Aetna. 694 00:32:21,083 --> 00:32:24,832 - He's also one of the most active art collectors 695 00:32:24,833 --> 00:32:26,874 in America at that time. 696 00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:30,207 He has an absolutely incredible collection 697 00:32:30,208 --> 00:32:32,874 of more than 20,000 items. 698 00:32:32,875 --> 00:32:36,041 He has Raphael's Colonna Altarpiece. 699 00:32:36,042 --> 00:32:39,666 He has several rare paintings by Vermeer. 700 00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:43,332 So he is someone who might have the wherewithal 701 00:32:43,333 --> 00:32:46,707 to pull off something as bold as the theft 702 00:32:46,708 --> 00:32:49,041 of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. 703 00:32:49,042 --> 00:32:51,124 - No one else had that kind of money, 704 00:32:51,125 --> 00:32:53,874 and appreciation for European art, 705 00:32:53,875 --> 00:32:56,333 and that level of unchecked greed. 706 00:32:57,708 --> 00:32:59,541 - [Laurence] When the search for the stolen Mona Lisa 707 00:32:59,542 --> 00:33:02,666 peters out in France in the fall of 1911, 708 00:33:02,667 --> 00:33:06,332 many observers speculate that she could already be hanging 709 00:33:06,333 --> 00:33:11,249 in one of Morgan's mansions, or could be headed there soon. 710 00:33:11,250 --> 00:33:13,291 - Suspicion only grows when it's discovered 711 00:33:13,292 --> 00:33:16,082 that Morgan was on vacation in Italy 712 00:33:16,083 --> 00:33:18,499 at the time of the Mona Lisa theft. 713 00:33:18,500 --> 00:33:20,749 The thought is that he actually had the painting 714 00:33:20,750 --> 00:33:23,374 delivered to him while he was there. 715 00:33:23,375 --> 00:33:25,332 - There's a growing belief amongst the French populace 716 00:33:25,333 --> 00:33:27,749 that only an American millionaire 717 00:33:27,750 --> 00:33:30,207 could have pulled off this heist 718 00:33:30,208 --> 00:33:33,166 and had so much money to enlist the help 719 00:33:33,167 --> 00:33:34,457 of professional thieves 720 00:33:34,458 --> 00:33:37,416 to acquire this national masterpiece 721 00:33:37,417 --> 00:33:40,125 for their own private enjoyment. 722 00:33:41,375 --> 00:33:43,207 - [Laurence] It wouldn't be the first time J.P. Morgan 723 00:33:43,208 --> 00:33:46,207 had been caught with a stolen art treasure. 724 00:33:46,208 --> 00:33:49,874 - J.P. Morgan actually did have a stolen item 725 00:33:49,875 --> 00:33:51,374 in his collection. 726 00:33:51,375 --> 00:33:54,707 He had one of the vestments of Pope Nicholas IV, 727 00:33:54,708 --> 00:33:58,666 but upon realizing that this was a stolen work, 728 00:33:58,667 --> 00:34:00,583 he returned it to Italy. 729 00:34:01,917 --> 00:34:03,416 - [Laurence] Months into the case, 730 00:34:03,417 --> 00:34:05,624 the investigation is unsuccessful, 731 00:34:05,625 --> 00:34:08,666 but the speculation over J.P. Morgan's involvement 732 00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:10,541 is very much alive. 733 00:34:10,542 --> 00:34:15,207 - In 1912, Morgan goes to France for a spa vacation 734 00:34:15,208 --> 00:34:16,707 and the tabloids go berserk. 735 00:34:16,708 --> 00:34:19,207 They're like, "That's it, he's here to get the Mona Lisa. 736 00:34:19,208 --> 00:34:20,749 He's here to meet mysterious men 737 00:34:20,750 --> 00:34:22,707 who he is gonna get this piece smuggled to him 738 00:34:22,708 --> 00:34:24,000 for $1 million." 739 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:26,249 - It's a wild theory 740 00:34:26,250 --> 00:34:28,374 that doesn't actually have any basis in fact. 741 00:34:28,375 --> 00:34:30,874 But Morgan at this time is just catnip 742 00:34:30,875 --> 00:34:34,207 for conspiracy theorists who are going after him harder 743 00:34:34,208 --> 00:34:37,666 than police have gone after any actual suspect. 744 00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:40,499 - Morgan denies any connection to this heist 745 00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:43,166 and says, "I actually wish I was somehow involved, 746 00:34:43,167 --> 00:34:45,957 'cause I would buy it and give it back to the Louvre." 747 00:34:45,958 --> 00:34:48,041 - Not everyone believes this, 748 00:34:48,042 --> 00:34:50,999 but in the absence of any evidence, 749 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,541 the police and the French public 750 00:34:53,542 --> 00:34:56,541 are forced to turn their attention elsewhere. 751 00:34:56,542 --> 00:34:57,874 [tense music] 752 00:34:57,875 --> 00:35:00,999 - Mona Lisa remains a top international headline 753 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,707 until April 14, 1912, 754 00:35:03,708 --> 00:35:05,582 when the sinking of the Titanic 755 00:35:05,583 --> 00:35:07,624 actually knocks it off the front pages. 756 00:35:07,625 --> 00:35:08,957 [crowds chatter] 757 00:35:08,958 --> 00:35:12,249 - By this time, many people accept that the Mona Lisa 758 00:35:12,250 --> 00:35:14,374 is never coming back to the Louvre, 759 00:35:14,375 --> 00:35:17,207 and in fact, the Louvre itself removes the painting 760 00:35:17,208 --> 00:35:19,292 from its official catalog. 761 00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:22,374 Many people believe that the Mona Lisa 762 00:35:22,375 --> 00:35:27,333 is now far away from Paris and may never be seen again. 763 00:35:31,375 --> 00:35:32,999 - [Laurence] It's 1913. 764 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,499 Nearly two years have passed since the Mona Lisa was stolen. 765 00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:38,207 The case has gone stone cold, 766 00:35:38,208 --> 00:35:39,457 but that changes 767 00:35:39,458 --> 00:35:42,291 when a prominent art and antiques dealer 768 00:35:42,292 --> 00:35:45,332 receives a mysterious letter. 769 00:35:45,333 --> 00:35:48,291 - An art dealer by the name of Alfredo Geri 770 00:35:48,292 --> 00:35:51,666 is running advertisements in Italian newspapers 771 00:35:51,667 --> 00:35:55,041 stating that he's willing to pay top price 772 00:35:55,042 --> 00:35:57,541 for high quality works of art. 773 00:35:57,542 --> 00:35:59,374 - Early in December, he gets a letter 774 00:35:59,375 --> 00:36:01,707 with a Paris postmark from a guy named Leonard 775 00:36:01,708 --> 00:36:04,667 who says that he has stolen the Mona Lisa. 776 00:36:06,125 --> 00:36:09,791 The letter goes on to say that in exchange for 500,000 lira, 777 00:36:09,792 --> 00:36:13,166 approximately 3 million US dollars today, 778 00:36:13,167 --> 00:36:15,249 he will bring the painting back to Italy, 779 00:36:15,250 --> 00:36:17,499 where it rightfully belongs. 780 00:36:17,500 --> 00:36:20,041 - The letter is actually pretty articulate 781 00:36:20,042 --> 00:36:21,874 in its love of Italy. 782 00:36:21,875 --> 00:36:23,541 It says that, 783 00:36:23,542 --> 00:36:25,957 " The stolen work of Leonardo da Vinci is in my possession. 784 00:36:25,958 --> 00:36:28,749 It seems to belong to Italy since it's painter was Italian. 785 00:36:28,750 --> 00:36:30,874 My dream is to give back this masterpiece 786 00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:32,166 to the land from which it came 787 00:36:32,167 --> 00:36:34,749 and the country that inspired it." 788 00:36:34,750 --> 00:36:36,207 - Whoever this Leonard is, 789 00:36:36,208 --> 00:36:37,957 he's operating under the impression 790 00:36:37,958 --> 00:36:42,041 that Napoleon stole the Mona Lisa from its native Italy 791 00:36:42,042 --> 00:36:43,957 and brought it to France, 792 00:36:43,958 --> 00:36:46,457 but that's actually not the case. 793 00:36:46,458 --> 00:36:49,749 - [Laurence] Initially, Geri suspects the letter is a hoax 794 00:36:49,750 --> 00:36:52,791 and holds off on notifying the authorities. 795 00:36:52,792 --> 00:36:56,207 - In the ensuing two years, Europe has been wracked 796 00:36:56,208 --> 00:36:58,374 with Mona Lisa fever. 797 00:36:58,375 --> 00:37:01,082 Countless claims of its whereabouts 798 00:37:01,083 --> 00:37:05,082 or fakes being issued and being immediately dismissed 799 00:37:05,083 --> 00:37:06,541 are rampant. 800 00:37:06,542 --> 00:37:10,207 And Geri doesn't want to be taken for a fool, 801 00:37:10,208 --> 00:37:14,749 but something in this letter piques his interest. 802 00:37:14,750 --> 00:37:16,874 - In the letter, Leonard talks about 803 00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:20,791 some of the details on the backside of the wooden panel 804 00:37:20,792 --> 00:37:22,207 of the Mona Lisa, 805 00:37:22,208 --> 00:37:25,374 and Geri worries that it actually might 806 00:37:25,375 --> 00:37:27,458 have some truth to it. 807 00:37:29,042 --> 00:37:31,624 - [Laurence] Geri invites the man to his gallery 808 00:37:31,625 --> 00:37:36,374 for a clandestine meeting on December 10, 1913. 809 00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:40,249 - Geri is waiting, and in walks a thin younger man 810 00:37:40,250 --> 00:37:42,416 who insists that he has the real Mona Lisa. 811 00:37:42,417 --> 00:37:44,166 And the reason he knows this is 812 00:37:44,167 --> 00:37:47,082 because he stole the painting himself. 813 00:37:47,083 --> 00:37:48,541 - Geri isn't convinced, 814 00:37:48,542 --> 00:37:51,957 but he does agree to meet the letter writer 815 00:37:51,958 --> 00:37:56,916 with the director of Florence's famed Uffizi Museum. 816 00:37:56,917 --> 00:38:00,874 He's there to authenticate maybe the Mona Lisa. 817 00:38:00,875 --> 00:38:03,124 - [Laurence] The man pulls a trunk 818 00:38:03,125 --> 00:38:05,832 from under the hotel room's bed. 819 00:38:05,833 --> 00:38:08,500 - This looks like just an ordinary trunk, 820 00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:14,332 and when he opens it, Geri is immediately disappointed. 821 00:38:14,333 --> 00:38:16,374 [dramatic music] 822 00:38:16,375 --> 00:38:20,166 - It's just discarded items, but it has a secret. 823 00:38:20,167 --> 00:38:22,374 It has a false bottom. 824 00:38:22,375 --> 00:38:24,457 So he pulls the false bottom from the trunk, 825 00:38:24,458 --> 00:38:27,874 and there is a solid plank of wood, 826 00:38:27,875 --> 00:38:30,417 [tense music] 827 00:38:31,583 --> 00:38:35,207 - [Laurence] And the Mona Lisa smile emerges. 828 00:38:35,208 --> 00:38:37,832 The painting is real. 829 00:38:37,833 --> 00:38:40,832 - Geri immediately alerts the authorities. 830 00:38:40,833 --> 00:38:42,541 Leonard is arrested, 831 00:38:42,542 --> 00:38:47,041 and name is discovered to be Vincenzo Peruggia. 832 00:38:47,042 --> 00:38:49,833 [dramatic music] 833 00:38:52,250 --> 00:38:53,999 - Peruggia is an Italian national 834 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,291 who had moved to France hoping to become an artist, 835 00:38:57,292 --> 00:38:59,041 but instead he became a laborer 836 00:38:59,042 --> 00:39:04,041 working in the Louvre from October, 1910 to January, 1911. 837 00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:06,499 So as Lépine had suspected, 838 00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:09,707 he had worked at the Louvre as a subcontractor, 839 00:39:09,708 --> 00:39:12,541 manufacturing the protective glass boxes 840 00:39:12,542 --> 00:39:15,708 that held artwork like the Mona Lisa. 841 00:39:17,083 --> 00:39:18,707 - Interestingly, the Paris Police 842 00:39:18,708 --> 00:39:22,249 had already interviewed Peruggia more than once, 843 00:39:22,250 --> 00:39:25,874 but he was so calm and cooperative-seeming 844 00:39:25,875 --> 00:39:29,874 that they had neglected to even fingerprint him. 845 00:39:29,875 --> 00:39:31,624 - The whole time the French police 846 00:39:31,625 --> 00:39:33,707 were inside his dingy apartment, 847 00:39:33,708 --> 00:39:37,417 the Mona Lisa was hiding right there under his bed. 848 00:39:38,875 --> 00:39:40,416 - [Laurence] At trial, 849 00:39:40,417 --> 00:39:44,166 Peruggia's simple but effective plot is revealed. 850 00:39:44,167 --> 00:39:47,124 - He enters with the crowds on a Sunday afternoon. 851 00:39:47,125 --> 00:39:48,291 He hides in a closet. 852 00:39:48,292 --> 00:39:50,707 When it opens Monday, the closed day, 853 00:39:50,708 --> 00:39:54,332 he steals a white smock, looks like an employee, 854 00:39:54,333 --> 00:39:55,874 because he fabricated the piece, 855 00:39:55,875 --> 00:39:58,416 he knows how to take it off, takes it off immediately, 856 00:39:58,417 --> 00:40:00,166 and then heads to the stairwell. 857 00:40:00,167 --> 00:40:01,874 - Peruggia said he'd stolen a key 858 00:40:01,875 --> 00:40:04,666 to open that door to the stairwell, but it didn't work. 859 00:40:04,667 --> 00:40:06,707 So he tried to use a screwdriver, 860 00:40:06,708 --> 00:40:09,707 but all that happened was the doorknob fell off. 861 00:40:09,708 --> 00:40:11,582 By the time that plumber came along, 862 00:40:11,583 --> 00:40:14,291 he'd managed to safely tuck the painting under his smock 863 00:40:14,292 --> 00:40:16,041 to make that getaway. 864 00:40:16,042 --> 00:40:18,207 The defendant insisted that he had done this 865 00:40:18,208 --> 00:40:19,874 all out of national pride 866 00:40:19,875 --> 00:40:23,166 because Mona Lisa belonged in Italy, 867 00:40:23,167 --> 00:40:24,792 the home of Leonardo da Vinci. 868 00:40:26,125 --> 00:40:29,832 - To immense fanfare, France's national treasure, 869 00:40:29,833 --> 00:40:34,750 the Mona Lisa, is returned on January 4, 1914. 870 00:40:35,333 --> 00:40:36,916 Peruggia pleads guilty, 871 00:40:36,917 --> 00:40:40,166 but the court finds him guilty of the theft, 872 00:40:40,167 --> 00:40:42,166 but for the right reasons, 873 00:40:42,167 --> 00:40:45,874 they claim that he was acting under a patriotic duty 874 00:40:45,875 --> 00:40:49,332 and he's sentenced to only one year. 875 00:40:49,333 --> 00:40:51,541 Peruggia serves only eight months 876 00:40:51,542 --> 00:40:54,374 for stealing the Mona Lisa. 877 00:40:54,375 --> 00:40:56,374 [dramatic music] 878 00:40:56,375 --> 00:40:58,582 - Once the Mona Lisa returns to the Louvre, 879 00:40:58,583 --> 00:41:00,999 it becomes more famous than ever, 880 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:05,499 attracting over 100,000 visitors in its first two days. 881 00:41:05,500 --> 00:41:09,541 Today, huge crowds still vie for a firsthand look. 882 00:41:09,542 --> 00:41:10,874 Few of them aware 883 00:41:10,875 --> 00:41:13,082 of the international mystery she sparked 884 00:41:13,083 --> 00:41:15,082 more than a hundred years ago. 885 00:41:15,083 --> 00:41:16,666 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 886 00:41:16,667 --> 00:41:19,874 Thank you for watching this "Case Closed" episode 887 00:41:19,875 --> 00:41:22,499 of "History's Greatest Mysteries." 888 00:41:22,500 --> 00:41:23,833 [tense music]