TikTok users were in shock when a video surfaced on the platform claiming that Mona Lisa had been stolen. A 10-second clip was posted by a user on Sunday, stating that Da Vinci’s world-famous work was robbed from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
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The video soon went viral, sending social media users into a frenzy. Many users started googling if the incident took place, while others expressed their shock and concern. So is the Mona Lisa painting actually stolen from the Louvre? Read on to find out.
Viral TikTok Video Claims Mona Lisa has been Stolen
On Sunday, January 8, a clip was posted on the short-video-sharing platform, which showed a huge line of police and ambulance vehicles near the Arc De Triomphe roundabout in Paris. The emergency vehicles had their sirens on. The message over the video read, “POV: You’re in Paris when the Mona Lisa has been stolen.”
The video went viral instantly and clocked over 2.4 million views in under 24 hours. Users flooded the comment section asking if the news was true and expressing their disbelief. Soon there were more than 7000 comments on the video. However, the user who posted the clip did not reply to anyone, nor did he confirm anything.
“Was the mona lisa actually stolen or are yall getting my gullible a** again,” wrote a user. Another commented, “What mona lisa got stolen!!!? ain’t no way,” and a third one wrote, “Since when was the mona lisa stolen?!?!?!?”
Has the Mona Lisa Painting been Stolen for Real?
Despite the claims in the TikTok video, it is highly unlikely that the painting has been stolen from the Louvre Museum. Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world, and if anything had happened to it, it would have made global news.
The painting is said to be worth $860 million and is kept in a bulletproof glass case in the museum. In 2022, there was an attempt to vandalize the artwork by a self-proclaimed activist who threw cake at the painting. At the time, the incident made headlines immediately.
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So far, the Louvre Museum has not released any statement announcing the loss of their priced possession. Any source close to the museum has also not confirmed the development to any media house. Hence, we can safely say that the viral TikTok video’s claims are false, and the Mona Lisa still remains protected at the Louvre Museum.
The Painting has been Stolen Earlier
The only time when the Mona Lisa was stolen was in 1911 when Italian artist and a worker at the Louvre, Vicenzo Peruggia, hid in the museum till closing time. He then took the painting and left the city on a train. At the time, the painting was considered a minor artwork.
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Peruggia kept the artwork with himself for two years and then decided to sell it to a Florence art dealer. However, the deal fell through after the dealer informed the Uffizi Gallery. The gallery then collected the piece and returned it to the Louvre in 1913. Meanwhile, Peruggia was arrested and spent seven months in prison.
