Picasso was suspected of stealing the 'Mona Lisa'
19 comments
·January 7, 2025pavlov
The poet Guillaume Apollinaire was also arrested on suspicion of this theft.
He wrote a poem about the experience of being jailed:
https://allpoetry.com/poem/14329550---La-Sant--by-Guillaume-...
I think “La Santé” was the name of the prison. The English translation of the title loses this double meaning.
lysace
The part where Picasso and Apolliniare attempt to throw the ancient sculptures they have stolen from the Louvre into the Seine because they are scared of getting caught stealing them...
After learning of this, I now value Pablo Picasso (the person) somewhat differently. He was ~26 in 1907. Not a kid.
This probably explains why I had never heard of this before: https://jacobin.com/2023/06/pablo-picasso-brooklyn-museum-ga...
mbivert
Enjoyable news format; the drawings are a bit crude, not that much considering we're talking about Picasso, but it's more pleasant to read, on a screen, than pure text.
visarga
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Willingham
Sentenced to 1 year and 15 days for stealing the Mona Lisa, what a laughable punishment compared to today’s standards.(also, Picasso was accused and never convicted, Vincenzo Peruggia was the actual thief that was convicted)
treetalker
And to be clear, Peruggia was sentenced to that time. Picasso was never sentenced.
Today's standards are indeed different: if rich or famous enough, you can commit dozens of felonies, receive no prison time or other actual punishment, and be sworn in as president!
gottorf
> Today's standards are indeed different
The rulers of yesteryear are surely grateful that, in time, even the worst sins get washed away.
"Politicians used to be honorable" must be as commonly said across generations as "kids these days are just so disrespectful".
Willingham
Thanks, I updated the response (:
imchillyb
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ben_w
Dozens of felony convictions, the jury agreed with the prosecution.
Lying under oath was also what got Bill Clinton impeached, and that too is "just words".
That said, the claim that this unduly influenced the previous election is, IMO, probably incorrect: that Trump is a philanderer was known in 2016, and his conviction for these offences was known by the 2024 election, and yet he still won.
fredfoo
What did Hitler do besides speak words?
mannykannot
I don't think it then had the near-mythic reverence it now commands, and the theft was partly responsible for bringing its current status about.
nguyenkien
Have you consider living conditions in prison from that time?
whimsicalism
i think most people nowadays would make the trade
https://archive.ph/yji3I