Painter Pablo Picasso was among the suspects in the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris in 1911, Spanish media reported today. When the famous painting by Da Vinci disappeared from the Paris museum, it was called the theft of the century – the museum was closed for a week for a detailed investigation, and Picasso was among the suspects along with the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, whose assistant Gary Pierre stole two busts in 1907, one of which he sold to the painter and the other as a gift, according to the Cadenaser portal.
The theft of the bust was not discovered by the police and was admitted by Pierre himself, who wanted to brag about his enterprise to journalists four years later, after the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre.
The police then launched an investigation against Apollinaire and Picasso. The poet spent six days in jail, while Picasso was arrested and interrogated. The painter denied knowing Apollinaire and his assistant thief, and denied knowing the origin of the busts. In the end, it was discovered that the Mona Lisa had been stolen by a Louvre employee, Vincenzo Perugia, who removed the painting from its frame and carried it out of the museum under his coat.