Renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced he is developing a new musical based on the 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The production will dramatize the true story of Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee who stole the masterpiece and kept it hidden for over two years before attempting to sell it to an antiques dealer in Florence. Lloyd Webber, the creative force behind global hits like Cats and Phantom of the Opera, is currently in the writing phase of the project.
This development highlights the enduring cultural fascination with the Mona Lisa and the intersection of art history with mainstream entertainment. By transforming one of the art world's most infamous crimes into a theatrical spectacle, the project underscores how high-profile provenance stories and museum security lore continue to captivate public imagination beyond the confines of traditional art institutions.