Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?

What makes the Mona Lisa one of the most famous paintings in the world? I think that’s a question we’ve all wondered about at some point. Personally, I think there are countless masterpieces that deserve more hype, yet thousands of people visit the Louvre everyday just to see this small portrait. So what actually makes her a world-famous celebrity?

The painting itself was unique for its time as Leonardo broke the unspoken rules of portrait painting: he painted her full face rather than the conventional stiff side profile. The hazy background painted using the sfumato technique and her enigmatic smile also create a mysterious yet intentional aura. But is its artistic style enough to explain the craze for this painting?

Part of the mystery has always been the identity of the woman in the painting. Sigmund Freud, a psychologist, suggested that the woman might be inspired by Leonardo’s mother Caterina, which could also explain why her smile seems ambiguous (but Freud links everything to mommy or daddy issues). The most credible theory is that she was Lisa Cherardini, wife of the influential Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Although the Italian name of this painting is ‘La Gioconda’, we don’t actually know if it was given by Leonardo or art historians after his death. 

This theory was first suggested by Giorgio Vasari in 1550, who wrote a biography of Leonardo’s life. Later on in 2005, a document was discovered in Heidelberg. In the margin of the document, the secretary of a government official in Florence wrote that Leonardo was going to paint ‘the head of Lisa’ for Francesco, which seemingly confirms the Mona Lisa as Lisa Gherardhini. However, even this finding is not enough as we cannot guarantee that the Mona Lisa we know today is the same painting Leonardo was working on for Francesco. For all we know, Leonardo might never have painted Francesco’s commission, since Leonardo left Italy before he could possibly give a painting to Francesco.

Leonardo took approximately 16 years to complete this painting. He started the painting in 1503, at Florence, Italy and carried the painting with him everywhere he travelled, suggesting that he may have worked on it intermittently. Ultimately, the painting was found in his studio in France after he died in 1519. When Leonardo was in France, he was working for King Francis I. After his death, King Francis acquired the Mona Lisa as his property and it became the property of the Louvre in 1797. 

Initially, there were barely any visitors for this painting. But, on a fateful August night in 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia stole the painting! This theft became a media sensation. Many people went to the Louvre just to see the empty space (weird, right?). The public even began selling merchandise related to the painting to earn money. In the end, the painting was found in 1913, after Perugia tried to sell the painting to an art dealer. That was the first and last successful attempt of stealing the painting. Since then, the Louvre became very protective of it, but there have been many unsuccessful vandalisation attempts. 

Ultimately, I think it’s safe to say that it’s the media speculation during the theft that led to this work of Leonardo becoming world famous. Yet, my research has left me with more questions: Did Leonardo ever finish the painting? Did he even want people to see it? The fact that we are still debating about the mysteries of the Mona Lisa is probably the greatest testament to her power. It tells us that the story of the artwork may be just as important as the art itself in the eye of the public. 

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the art deserves the fame or was it all a happy accident?

Bibliography:

Britannica Editors (2025, November 28). Mona Lisa. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mona-Lisa-painting

Chernick, K. (2025, January 27). Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous? ArtNews. Retrieved November 29, 2025, from https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/why-is-the-mona-lisa-so-famous-1234635537/were-not-sure-who-she-is/

The Mona Lisa Foundation. (n.d.). The 'Heidelberg Document'. https://monalisa.org/2012/09/11/302/

The Mona Lisa Foundation. (n.d.). Who were Francesco del Giocondo and his wife Lisa Gherardini? https://monalisa.org/2012/09/05/francesco-del-giocondo-his-wife-lisa-gherardini/

Zelazko, A. (2025, August 4). Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-the-mona-lisa-so-famous