Throughout history, people have tried and succeeded in stealing priceless pieces and precious artifacts from museums.
Some of the most daring robberies include the Mona Lisa that was stolen by a worker who simply lifted it off the wall, in addition to one Edvard Munch’s thieves who left a note that read, “Thanks for the bad security.”
More recently, it was revealed that a worker who was a ‘world expert’ was fired from the British Museum after items were ‘missing, stolen or damaged’.
Peter John Higgins, 56, worked at the museum for 30 years before being charged with theft.
Going back to 1911, while working at the Louvre in Paris, Vincenzo Peruggia walked up to the painting, took it down from the wall, took it out of the case, and took the Mona Lisa home.
Vincenzo Peruggia, who worked at the Louvre, Paris, walked over to the painting, took it down from the wall, took it out of the case and took the Mona Lisa home
Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington was stolen from the National Gallery in London by Kempton Bunton
Despite its simplicity, 112 years later it is still one of the most famous art heists in history.
Peruggia kept the painting hidden in a suitcase for two years before he was caught trying to sell it to a gallery in Florence – saying he wanted to return it to his homeland.
The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre, but in the meantime the police had accused a number of people of theft, including Pablo Picasso.
Fifty years later, on the same date as the theft of the Mona Lisa, Francisco Goya’s portrait of The Duke of Wellington was stolen from the National Gallery in London by Kempton Bunton.
Released in 2020 starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, The Duke depicts the heist where Kempton stole the painting to raise £140,000 for a cause close to his heart: to ensure that the elderly and poor people can get free TV licenses.
Four years after Bunton climbed through a bathroom window – which he had previously left ajar – he turned up at a police station and confessed to the theft.
Bunton’s lawyer Jeremy Hutchinson QC managed to convince the jury that his client had borrowed the painting and that he was only convicted of stealing the frame.
In 1994, two men used a ladder to break into Oslo’s National Gallery and take Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream. Then they left a note that said, “Thanks for the bad security.”
The British Museum employee fired for missing priceless treasures was named today as Peter John Higgs, 56,
The Duke, which was released in 2020 starring Jim Broadbent (left) and Helen Mirren (right), depicts the robbery where Kempton stole the painting to raise £140,000 for a cause close to his heart – for it ensure that the elderly and poor people can get free TV licenses
Two men used a ladder to break into Oslo’s National Gallery and took Edvard Munch’s painting Scream – of which there were four versions. (stock image)
The museum refused to pay a $1 million ransom, but the painting was later recovered.
A decade later, another version of Munch’s Scream – there were a total of four versions made by the artist – was stolen from the same gallery in broad daylight by masked gunmen.
Several of the thieves were convicted, but it wasn’t until two years later that the police managed to recover the painting.
Five men, dubbed the largest art heist in modern history, have been convicted of orchestrating and executing the theft of £100 million worth of 18th-century jewelery from a Dresden museum in 2019.
The Dresden State Court ruled that the five men aged between 24 and 29 were responsible for the burglary at the Green Vault Museum in the East German city on November 25, 2019 and the theft of 21 pieces of jewelery containing more than 4,300 diamonds totaling insured value of at least 113.8 million euros (£99 million).
The theft included 21 jewels containing more than 4,300 diamonds with a total insured value of at least 113.8 million euros (£99 million).
The Dresden State Court ruled that the five men aged between 24 and 29 were responsible for the burglary at the Green Vault Museum in the East German city on November 25, 2019.
Many of the pieces were badly damaged and some are still missing, including a brooch that belonged to Queen Amalie Auguste of Saxony.
About 40 people are said to have been involved in planning the robbery and are still wanted.
In addition, the five men cannot be forced to give testimony about the whereabouts of the treasures, even if they have been convicted.
In March 2020, three historic paintings dating back to the 16th century and thought to be worth millions of pounds disappeared from an art gallery following a late-night robbery.
The alarm went off when thieves broke into the famous Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford at 11pm.
Five men, dubbed the biggest art heist in modern history, have been convicted of orchestrating and executing the £100 million theft of 18th-century jewelery from a Dresden museum in 2019
Described as ‘one of the most serious art thefts ever’ by an art expert, black-clad bandits entered the 14th-century fortress at closing time in 2015, taking paintings, including masterpieces by Tintoretto, Rubens and Bellini.
The men escaped from the Castelvecchio Museum in the guard’s car before transferring to another vehicle.
The bandits bound the grounds security officer and gagged a cashier, while one of the men watched over the hostages, while the other two raided the exhibition rooms.
At the time, Roberto Bolis, spokesman for the municipality of Verona, said the museum had 24-hour security, but the robbery was planned so that the thieves arrived after the building was empty, but before the alarm was activated.