Lifestyle / art heist The 20th Century's Biggest Art Heists Even the Mona Lisa was lifted once By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted May 21, 2010 12:15 PM CDT Copied A Louvre employee stole the Mona Lisa from the museum in 1911. He was found with the painting in Italy 2 years later. (AP Photo/Reunion de Musees Nationaux di Parigi and Journal des Arts) See 4 more photos Yesterday’s massive theft from the Paris Museum of Modern Art is already being called the “heist of the century,” although we have a few years yet to see how it holds up. The Independent looked over the 20th century and compiled a list of 10 major art thefts. View a sampling in the gallery, or for the complete slideshow, click here. (More art heist stories.) Report an error