 "Before the Louvre: History's boldest art thefts from world museums")
The recent Louvre Museum heist has shocked the world, reigniting memories of earlier audacious art thefts that shook even the most secure galleries. The Louvre, home to countless treasures, has a long history of headline-making robberies.
From Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to Vincent van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters, some of the world’s most prized masterpieces have vanished from museum walls in elaborate and daring operations. Let's take a closer look at some of the biggest museum thefts.
Biggest museum heists
According to a Reuters report, here are some of the major thefts from museums before the daylight break-in at the Louvre:
- August 2023: British Museum – Around 2,000 artefacts, including gold jewellery and gems, were stolen over a long period
- August 2020: Hofje van Mevrouw Van Aerden Museum, near Utrecht – Two Laughing Boys by Frans Hals, worth $18 million, were stolen
- March 2020: Singer Laren Museum, Amsterdam – Van Gogh's Spring Garden was stolen
- November 2019: Gruenes Gewoelbe (Green Vault), Dresden – Jewellery with over 4,300 diamonds, worth $124 million, was stolen
- May 2015: Madrid, Private Collection – Five paintings by Francis Bacon, worth $25 million, were looted
- October 2012: Kunsthal Museum, Rotterdam – Seven paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and others were stolen
- May 2010: Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris – Five paintings, worth $117.98 million, including Picasso and Matisse, were stolen
- February 2008: Buehrle Collection, Zurich – Four paintings by Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh, Monet stolen ($164 million)
- December 2004: Sao Paulo Museum of Art – Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch and Portinari's The Coffee Worker were stolen ($55.5 million)
- August 2003: Drumlanrig Castle, Scotland – Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder stolen ($53 million)
- December 2002: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – Two Van Gogh paintings were stolen ($56 million each)
- November 1993: Modern Museum, Stockholm – Eight works by Picasso and Braque were looted ($60 million)
- April 1991: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – 20 paintings, including Van Gogh's The Potato Eaters, were stolen ($500 million)
- 1911: Louvre Museum, Paris – Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen. It was recovered after two months.
Indian museum thefts
While museum heists in internal locations have often been widely known, India has witnessed its share of daring thefts as well. According to a report by Hindustan Times, a gold tiffin box and other antiques were stolen from the Nizam’s Museum in Hyderabad in 2018.
According to an Indian Express report, robbers struck the 2,000-year-old Buddhist site museum at Chandavaram three times, in February and March 2001. Arriving on tractors, they tied up guards and looted the site in broad daylight. The full extent of the stolen items remains unclear.