Over time, the value of a given work of art will increase, especially the works of master artists like da Vinci and van Gogh. Because of their high profile, however, it's become a sad fact of life that the more valuable or famous paintings will be subjected to attempts at theft or vandalism. Some paintings have been stolen and never seen again, while others have been recovered and put back on display for a grateful public audience.

Here are some of the most famous paintings to have ever been stolen, some of which are still missing today.

The Mona Lisa: The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci has hung in the Louvre in Paris for over 200 years. The only exception was in 1911, when Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia stole the painting in an attempt to return it to its native land in Italy. The painting was recovered in 1913 and is currently appraised to be worth over $760 million, making it the most valuable painting in the world.

The Concert: On March 18, 1990, the world's largest art theft took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. Over a dozen classic artworks were stolen, including The Concert by Johannes Vermeer. This depiction of three musicians in a domestic setting is unique in that it had already gone missing between 1696 and 1780. It had been on display at the Boston art museum since 1903, but has been missing ever since the theft.

Storm on the Sea of Galilee: This Rembrandt painting was originally hung in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It illustrates the famous Biblical story of Jesus calming a storm in the Sea of Galilee, and it's believed that Rembrandt painted himself as a passenger on the boat along with Christ and His disciples. The painting was stolen on March 18, 1990, along with 12 other artworks and remains at large.

View of Auvers-sur-Oise: Although Paul Cézanne is known for many fine paintings, he had never signed the landscape of the Parisian suburb Auvers-sur-Oise because he considered it unfinished. Nonetheless, it was hung in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, until December 31, 1999. An enterprising art thief took advantage of the fireworks show set up to celebrate the new Millennium and stole the Cézanne landscape from the museum.

Portrait of a Young Man: Raphael is one of the Old Masters of the Renaissance, known for his oil paintings like his contemporary da Vinci. It is an elegant portrait, generally believed to be a portrayal of the artist himself. In 1939, when the Nazi Germany invaded Poland, German soldiers stole the masterpiece, along with other classic paintings, from a museum in Krakow. It went missing after the war, only recently turning up inside a European bank vault in August 2012. At its current value, Portrait of a Young Man is believed to be worth over $100 million.

The Scream: As the most iconic work of Edvard Munch, The Scream has been subjected to numerous thefts, both attempted and successful. The first high-profile theft was on February 12, 1994, as two men stole the painting from the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway, during the opening day ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. It was recovered in 1996, but the painting went missing again after four armed thieves struck the gallery on August 22, 2004. Fortunately, The Scream was recovered on August 31, 2006, and is on display once more. Its current value is around $120 million.

Image by bdamon on Flickr