The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity

Nicholas Day is the author of three books and has written for Slate, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post, among others. His picture book Nothing: John Cage and 4’33” tells the story of pianist David Tudor “performing.” John Cage’s 4’33”, which consists of blank bars. Its purpose is to awaken audiences to the presence of sound wherever they are. In his adult nonfiction, Baby Meets World, Day explores the questions he had as a first-time parent, drawing on a variety of perspectives from scientific and historical to cultural and personal.

A common thread across Day’s three books is curiosity, perspective, and exploration. Each book launches from questions, seeking to look beneath the surface of experiences and explore their potential to expand how people perceive and engage with the world. This stance informs The Mona Lisa Vanishes, which examines not only the theft of the Mona Lisa and its aftermath, but also the lives of its central figures, Leonardo and Lisa, and all who have influenced its perception across time, from scientists, to inventors, to critics, to artists.