The idea of being famous for simply being famous — à la the Kardashians — is no longer a novelty.

The craft of using a viral moment or scandal to one’s advantage and capitalizing on it for fame has become a form of art.

But this phenomenon is far from a social media age development.

One of the most successful examples of an entity leveraging virality for longstanding fame occurred over a century ago.

Her name was Mona Lisa.

One Heist Changes Everything

Before 1911, the Mona Lisa was appreciated but relatively unknown outside art circles. It wasn't the star attraction of the Louvre Museum, overshadowed by other works like the Venus de Milo or the Nike of Samothrace​​.

However, the painting's theft that year changed everything, causing the work of art to attain a cult-like status which catapulted it into the upper echelon of the art world.

And despite the clear cause and effect at play, this theft’s indelible mark remains largely forgotten today by most, who blindly accept that the Mona Lisa is, and always has been, the pinnacle of artistic achievement (just don’t ask them why).

Vincenzo Peruggia, the man behind the theft, wasn't a seasoned criminal but rather, a handyman who had been hired to install protective glass over the very painting he stole.

But Peruggia's crime was not just a theft but a statement, though perhaps a poorly-thought-out one.

In a dramatic courtroom moment after his capture, Peruggia, offended at being called a housepainter, stood up and proclaimed himself an artist​​.

This is incredibly illustrative of the mind of the thief — revealing him to be a bitter and (in his opinion) under-appreciated talent, sick of being ignored and intent on attracting the attention of the social class that rejected him by any means necessary.

The theft in 1911 ignited a media frenzy.

News of the Mona Lisa's disappearance spread rapidly, along with countless conspiracy theories.

The painting's absence created a void that was filled by public curiosity and speculation, making it more famous than it had ever been when it was actually present.

The arrest of Pablo Picasso, a rising star in the art world, on suspicion of involvement (though he was quickly exonerated) only served to further sweeten the pot, incorporating the name of a man who would soon become a world-famous artist certainly assisted in the legend’s resilience through the years.

Upon its return to the Louvre in 1914, the Mona Lisa attracted an astounding 100,000 visitors in just two days​​ (today, 80% of visitors to the Louvre are there to see the Mona Lisa).

The painting transcended its status as another work of art among a crowd; it had become a singular cultural icon, a source of intrigue, mystery, and a reminder of the powerful impact of a good story.

And because dollar signs tend to help put things in perspective, it’s worth mentioning that during the Pandemic, entrepreneur Stéphane Distinguin proposed the French government sell the Mona Lisa to pay-off their massive debts.

The proposed asking price? $54.5B (over 100 times more than the record-holder for most valuable painting, the Salvator Mundi, which fetched $450.3M)

Until Next Week...