In 1911, a man named Vincent Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. The painting's whereabouts were unknown for two years until it was returned to the Parisian museum. Peruggia had attempted to sell the painting to Italians, claiming that he was trying to return Da Vinci's work to its homeland, but ended up being sentenced to two years in prison. Because the painting was missing for so long, there have been theories floating around for more than a century that the painting on display in the Louvre is actually a forgery.
All of that is true.
In The Last Mona Lisa, Santlofer takes this real heist and conspiracy theory and spins it into a thriller centered on Peruggia's great-grandson, an art historian who is determined to find out why his ancestor stole the painting in the first place, as well as determining once and for all, whether the Mona Lisa on display is the real deal. But since this is a thriller, there are of course other, less altruistic, parties interested in Peruggia and the painting. It's a fast-paced story, full of twists and turns and lots of solid information about art history. While there are a lot of threads to keep track of at the beginning, it's worth it to stick it out and see how they all come together.
No comments:
Post a Comment