Paris was shocked on Sunday by a brazen robbery at the Louvre Museum. A group of thieves stole a collection of priceless jewelry in just a few minutes. The event happened in the morning while the museum was open. This theft shows that even the most secure places can be vulnerable.
This incident is the latest chapter in the long history of art heists. These crimes are not always just about money. For some thieves, the main motivation is the challenge of doing something that seems impossible.
Perhaps the most famous art theft also happened at the Louvre. In 1911, an Italian worker named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa. He believed the painting should be in Italy. He simply hid it under his coat and walked out, an act of shocking brazenness.
Another major heist happened in 1990 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Two thieves dressed as police officers deceived the guards and tied them up. They stole 13 works of art, which are still missing today. The empty frames still hang on the museum walls.
These stories show the constant battle between museums and criminals. As security technology gets better, thieves find clever new ways to defeat it. Protecting our shared cultural heritage is a challenge that never really ends.