On this day in 1911, Pablo Picasso was questioned for stealing the Mona Lisa which had been missing since August 21. He was brought in for questioning, after his friend, the poet Apollinaire, himself being questioned, mentioned him as an accomplice.
After the Mona Lisa was stolen, a former colleague of Apollinaire, Gery Pereit went to the Paris Journal with a stolen statuette from the Louvre, to boast about how easy it was to steal from the Louvre.
When Picasso and Apollinaire heard this, they were terrified as he had kept it in Apollinaire’s house, and sold a couple of the statuette to Picasso, of which he had actually advised Picasso not to display. After trying unsuccessful to dispose off the statuette, Picasso and Apollinaire decided to also go to the Paris Journal. Later in the day, they were both arrested.
The two men would eventually be released after questioning, although Apollinaire spent five days in prison.
A Louvre employee called Vincenzo Peruggia was later found to be responsible for the theft.
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