The world's most famous stolen paintings

Art theft, also known as artnapping, involves stealing paintings or other visual art from galleries, museums, or private collections. The stolen pieces are often resold or used as collateral for loans. In August 2024, the 17th-century painting 'A Double Portrait of Sir Peter Rubens and Sir Anthony van Dyck' by Erasmus Quellinus II was finally returned after being stolen in 1979.

Some of the most famous theft cases include the robbery of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic 'Mona Lisa' and Edvard Munch's 'The Scream.' While some masterpieces were swiped for ransom and later returned, the disappearances of others remain a mystery. 

If you'd like to learn more about the world's most famous stolen paintings, click through this gallery now. 

'Fruits on a Table' or 'Still Life with Apples and Grapes' by Paul Gauguin

'Fruits on a Table' or 'Still Life with Apples and Grapes' is a still life painting by French artist Paul Gauguin, painted in 1889. 

'Rest on the Flight into Egypt' by Titian

Painted by Titian circa 1508, 'Rest on the Flight into Egypt' depicts Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, stopping to rest while they fled to Egypt. 

'Portrait of a Lady' by Gustav Klimt

'Portrait of a Lady' was painted by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt between 1916 and 1917. The painting was purchased in 1925 by Giuseppe Ricci Oddi for his private collection. 

'Portrait of a Lady' was stolen from the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art, Italy, in 1997. In January 2020, gallery gardeners found the painting concealed in an external wall. The reasons for its concealment remain unknown.

'A Double Portrait of Sir Peter Paul Rubens and Sir Anthony Van Dyck' by Erasmus Quellinus II

'A Double Portrait of Sir Peter Rubens and Sir Anthony van Dyck,' painted by Erasmus Quellinus II in the 1640s, was stolen after a raid on the Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, in 1979. The painting was returned to its owner in 2024.

'Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee' by Rembrandt Van Rijn

In 1990, 'Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee' was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. The painting was stolen along with 12 others by two men pretending to be Boston police officers. The painting remains missing to this day.

'The Concert' by Johannes Vermeer

'The Concert' was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on the same night as Rembrandt's 'Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee.' Vermeer's 'The Concert' is considered the most valuable stolen painting in the world, and a US$10 million reward is offered to anyone who can provide information leading to the return of the art in good condition.

'Portrait of the Duke of Wellington' by Francisco de Goya

On August 21, 1961, just 19 days after it was displayed at the National Gallery, London, bus driver Kempton Bunton stole the painting. Four years later, Bunton returned the painting voluntarily in July 1965. He confessed to stealing the painting and its frame. 

'Mona Lisa' by Leonardo da Vinci

The 'Mona Lisa' was stolen in 1911 by Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. Peruggia and two others hid in a closet in the Louvre, and when the museum closed, they took the painting. Peruggia attempted to sell the piece, but the recipient called the police, and the masterpiece was returned to the Louvre.

'Landscape with Cottages' by Rembrandt van Rijn

'Landscape with Cottages,' painted circa 1654 by Rembrandt, was stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on September 4, 1972. Three armed individuals stole 18 paintings, 39 figurines, and various pieces of jewelry. 'Landscape with Cottages' has never been recovered, and the case remains a mystery.

'Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather' by Vincent van Gogh

'Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather' was painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1882. The painting was stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002. It was found under the kitchen floor of a villa associated with a Camorra gang boss by Italian police in 2016.

'A Lady and Gentleman in Black' by Rembrandt van Rijn

'A Lady and Gentleman in Black,' painted by Rembrandt in 1633, depicts a well-dressed husband and wife. It was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 and has never been recovered.

'The Scream' by Edvard Munch

'The Scream' was painted by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The piece has come to symbolize the anxiety of the human condition and is one of the most iconic images in art.

'Saint Jerome Writing' by Caravaggio

'Saint Jerome Writing,' painted by Caravaggio in 1607 or 1608, was stolen from St. John's Co-Cathedral in Malta in 1984 after being cut out of its frame. Two years later, following numerous telephone negotiations between the thieves and the museum director, the painting was recovered.

'Francis Bacon' by Lucian Freud

In 1952, British painter Lucian Freud created a portrait of Francis Bacon, an Irish-British artist. The portrait was stolen in 1988 while it was traveling to an exhibition in Berlin. Freud designed a "wanted" poster for the missing painting, but it remains lost to this day.

'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church at Nuenen' by Vincent van Gogh

The piece was stolen alongside 'Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather' from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002. It was later recovered in 2016 without its original frame.