The Mona Lisa Vanishes

Starred review from July 10, 2023
Via tightly wrought, immersive snapshots of Renaissance Italy and early 20th-century France, Day (Baby Meets World, for adults) traces the gripping story of “how a strange, small portrait became the most famous painting in history.” On August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, an “impossible” act that—thanks to an era-specific uptick in literacy and technology, including newspaper reportage—created a massive media spectacle, first in Paris, and then internationally. Flashing backward to the life of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), the story next traces the painting’s unlikely and humble beginnings in 1503 Florence; to this day, “Why this woman?” remains a great mystery. Moving back and forth in space and time to depict the personalities and historical periods involved, immediate-feeling chapters offer a multidimensional play-by-play of the heist and its broader facets, including conspiracy theories and the dawn of forensic science in the Paris of Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. Stylized b&w portraiture by Helquist (Strangeville School Is Totally Normal) portrays the largely white-cued cast, contributing playful period visuals to this captivating work of narrative nonfiction; altogether, it’s a wildly entertaining, thoroughly contextualized look at art, history, and fame. Ages 10–up. Author’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.