Worlds Most Infamous Art Heists  

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, one thing they definitely hold is value. The harder to get your hands on, the more it’s worth – so much so some people are willing to risk it all to get their hands on it! We decided to take a little dip into the dark history of the worlds most daring art heists. These audacious thefts often involve meticulous planning, daring execution, and, in some cases, a balaclava and good timing.

The Ghent Altarpiece

Also known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, this enormous masterpiece by the Van Eyck brothers, features 12 panels with various biblical figures and stories. Completed in 1432 it is considered the first major oil painting and it marks the transition from Middle Age to Renaissance art. Not only that, it holds the title for the most stolen work of art, having been taken seven times over the centuries. From Napoleon to Hitler, it seems this artwork just couldn’t catch a break.

The most notable theft occurred in 1934 when two side panels were stolen. Despite extensive investigations, only one has been recovered to this day- The Righteous Judges still remains missing. Over the years, numerous theories and forgeries have surfaced, but the true location of the original panel is still unknown.

The Mona Lisa

Poor Mona Lisa, she’s been the subject of vandalism and theft on several occasions in her time; most recently in 2024 when soup was splashed across it. Despite all this, Da Vinci’s masterpiece has come out somewhat unscathed. The most infamous of scandals surrounding Mona Lisa was when she was snatched from the Louvre in 1911.

Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia, was working in the Louvre when he saw his opportunity and took it. Peruggia walked in in his uniform, hid until the museum closed and simply walked out with the painting the next morning, concealing it under his coat. He held onto it for two years before trying to sell it to a dealer in Florence, who told the director of the Uffizi Galleries, who got hold of the Mona Lisa and then called the police. Rumbled! Fun fact: in the two years Mona Lisa was hidden away by Peruggia, Poet Guillaume Apollinaire along with Pablo Picasso were arrested and questioned. Both were released as there was no evidence, however they did have connection to other dodgy goings-on in that era- but thats a story for another time.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

Scrawlrs get your detective hats on as this one still remains unsolved making it one of the most significant art heists in history.

In the early hours of the 18th March, 1990, two men disguised as police officers gained entry into the museum under the pretence of responding to a disturbance. Once inside, they overpowered the guards, tied them up and trapped them in the basement, then promptly began looting the museum. Within 81 minutes they were out taking with them a total of 13 masterpieces. They went for the most precious ones of course, the most valuable one being The Concert by Johannes Vermeer and three Rembrandt’s - one of which was his one and only ever seascape, The Storm of the Sea of Galilee. The gallery still hangs the empty frames in hope that one day thy will returned and displayed for all to see once more. To this day the case is open. The FBI, US Attorney's Office and the museum itself still actively working on leads recover the stolen artwork.

As long as there are masterpieces, there will be those who covert them, ensuring art heists will long remain a part of our history. The saddest thing being some of these cultural treasures may never be recovered.

In fact, it is something that still happens to this day. The most recent pilfering (on date of writing this) involves Banksy’s latest animal themed artworks. In August this year, his latest series of various animals started cropping up around London, one of which is a wolf painted on a satellite dish that popped up on a roof in Peckham. Within hours it was taken, in broad daylight too. We can of course argue that as it’s street art, it’s part of the streets, so do these pieces really belong to anyone so is it actually­ stealing? Either way I hope whoever's satellite dish that was can still watch the footie.

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