I remember hearing something about this.  On this date in 1911, one of the most famous paintings of all time–the Mona Lisa–was stolen from the Louvre in Paris, France.  At the time, this wasn’t considered the masterpiece that it is today.  A handyman at the Louvre, Vincenzo Perugia, decided to risk going to jail for this painting.  He came out of the supply closet, lifted the painting off the hooks, took the canvas out of the frame, and hid it under his coat.  And amazingly, no one noticed!  It was 24 hours before anyone noticed it was gone.  This theft catapulted this painting into the world’s consciousness.  For about a week, they closed the museum as they desperately searched for the painting.  Once the Louvre was opened again, the visitors flocked to the empty space where the painting had been.

Not until November 1913 did this painting surface.  Perugia contacted an art dealer in Florence, Italy, and he offered to bring the painting to this dealer in exchange for a 500,000 lire reward.  The Mona Lisa arrived undercover, and Perugia was persuaded to leave this painting with the art dealer for expert examination.  Perugia was arrested later that day.  According to his statement, he believed that Napoleon had stolen this painting from Florence, and Perugia was only doing his “patriotic duty” in exchange for a reward.  Perugia did not serve a long prison sentence, and shortly thereafter, the painting was returned to the Louvre where it has been shown safely ever since.

For more info:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/aug/05/mona-lisa-theft-louvre-leonardo

http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/a/monalisa.htm

http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/mona-lisa-stolen-louvre

http://famousdaily.com/history/mona-lisa-stolen-louvre-employee.html