Reading - The Mona Lisa's Great Escape

Read the text and complete the activities below.

Most people know that the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous painting in the world. However, many are surprised to learn that its global fame was actually caused by a historic crime. Before the twentieth century, the painting was not widely known outside of academic art circles.

On August 21, 1911, the masterpiece was stolen directly off the wall of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The theft shocked the world and created a media sensation. For two years, the painting's empty space on the museum wall was visited by thousands of curious people who came just to stare at the gap. The police investigated hundreds of suspects, including the famous artist Pablo Picasso.

The actual thief was Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian museum employee who believed the painting belonged in Italy rather than France. He had simply hidden in a closet overnight, taken the painting down, wrapped it in his smock, and walked out the front door.

Peruggia was caught two years later when he tried to sell the artwork to an art dealer in Florence. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre, but its status had changed forever. It had transformed from a run-of-the-mill classical portrait into an iconic global celebrity.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Fill in the Blanks Drag and drop the correct words into the gaps to complete the summary.

Italy

academic art circles

sell

1911

empty space

1. Before the twentieth century, the Mona Lisa was mostly known only to .

2. The theft of the painting occurred in the year .

3. During the two years the painting was missing, visitors went to the Louvre just to look at the on the wall.

4. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, believed that the masterpiece belonged in the country of .

5. Peruggia was arrested when he attempted to the painting to an art dealer.

Activity 2: Vocabulary Hunt Find intermediate words in the text that match the descriptions below and type them in the boxes.

1. A word that means "a state of great excitement, interest, or curiosity among the public":

2. People who are believed to be possibly guilty of a crime:

3. A loose garment or coat worn to protect one's clothes while working:

4. Widely recognized as a symbol or cultural representative:

5. An academic study area or group of experts in a field: