As of 2020, the world famous Leonardo da Vinci painting, "Mona Lisa", has been stolen how many times?

The "Mona Lisa" is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic itself, on mostly permanent display at the Louvre, Paris since 1797. The masterpiece has been stolen once.

The painting was stolen from the Louvre on 21 August 1911. The culprit was museum employee Vincenzo Peruggia (1881-1925), who had helped construct the painting's glass case. He carried out the theft by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet, and walking out with the painting hidden under his coat after the museum had closed.

Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed that Leonardo's painting should have been in an Italian museum. After having kept the “Mona Lisa" in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. He served only six months in prison for the crime and was hailed for his patriotism in Italy.

Today, the "Mona Lisa" is one of the most valuable paintings in the world. As of 2020, it holds the current Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history.