Art Heists

Art heists are probably as old as art itself. The modern era dates to the 1911 theft of the “Mona Lisa,” when the self-styled Marques Eduardo de Valfierno paid three men to steal it from the Louvre in Paris. It’s usually seen as the first great art heist of the 20th century. Since that time, countless works of major and minor art have been stolen.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/12/art-theft-museums-biz-cx_af_0212artheists.html