I found the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911 to be of particular significance in terms of its impact on the symbolic value of the work and its resulting cultural and political ramifications.
On the morning of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The museum was shut down and the French border was closed to all attempting to enter or exit the country. The museum reopened nine days later. During this time thousands upon thousands of visitors came to see the empty spot where the painting had hung [1]. It is hard to imagine the empty wall space of any other painting drawing this much attention. Interestingly, the Mona Lisa had become even more famous in its absence.
The theft of the painting originally caused such a stir that several significant figures were called into question, including Guillaume Apollinaire, the famous poet, and Pablo Picasso. [1] About two years later the actual thief was discovered, when an attempted sale was made to the Uffizi gallery in Florence. The thief turned out to be Louvre employee, Vincenzo Peruggia. He had apparently been able to steal the painting by hiding in a closet, removing it during after hours, and walking away with it tucked under his coat. Peruggia believed that the painting was rightful Italian property and should remain in his home country. [1]
Before its theft, the Mona Lisa was a well loved painting receiving daily fan mail, but afterward, its fame skyrocketed. R.A. Scotti puts it best in her book, Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa, "Mona Lisa left the Louvre a work of art. She returned an icon." [2].
Link to image of the painting surrounded by a crowd: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sle/25395098/
In fact, the symbolic value and political significance of the Mona Lisa has increased to the point where it has been targeted in several attacks. In 1956, the painting was doused with acid. Later that year, a man threw a rock at it. The painting was eventually covered in bulletproof glass for protection. In 1974 a handicapped woman, upset by the museum's policies for the disabled, sprayed red paint at the painting while it was on loan at the Tokyo National Museum [6]. In 2009, a Russian woman hurled a ceramic mug at the painting, frustrated that she was unable to obtain French citizenship [3]. I cannot help but think back to Robert Hughes' comment in The Mona Lisa Curse, where he laments that the painting has become so famous it has lost meaning. Is the Mona Lisa forever fated to be a symbol?
On a personal note, I would like to mention that I had never before realized how small the actual painting is, and was especially surprised to hear that Peruggia was able to hide it under his coat. Seeing the picture in context next to a crowd of people you get a clear sense of its actual size. Perhaps it is because of all the attention that this painting has generated over the years, but I had always imagined it to be much larger.
Bibliography:
[1] http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1894006,00.html
[2] http://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Smile-Mysterious-Theft-Mona/dp/0307265803
[3] http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/mona-lisa-attacked-with-teacup/
