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peruggio vincenzo
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Vincenzo Peruggia was an Italian painter and decorator who is best known for stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911.

Vincenzo Peruggia was born in 1881 in Dumenza, Italy. He moved to Paris in the early 1900s and worked as a painter and decorator. Peruggia was fascinated by the art of Leonardo da Vinci and became obsessed with the Mona Lisa.

On August 21, 1911, Peruggia entered the Louvre during regular visiting hours, hiding in a broom closet until the museum closed. He then emerged, removed the Mona Lisa from the wall, and carried it out hidden under his clothing.

Peruggia believed that the Mona Lisa should be returned to Italy, where he thought it belonged. He kept the painting in his apartment in Florence for more than two years before being caught in 1913.

Peruggia was arrested and later convicted of the theft. He served a short prison sentence and was hailed as a patriot in Italy for his actions.

The theft of the Mona Lisa made international headlines and catapulted the painting to global fame. It was returned to the Louvre, where it remains one of the museum's most prized possessions.

Peruggia's story has been the subject of numerous books, films, and documentaries, cementing his place in history as the man who stole the world's most famous painting.