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A man smeared cake on the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. He had disguised himself as an elderly woman to get close to the painting.
He couldn't do much damage to the painting as it is protected by bulletproof glass. However, videos of the man have gone viral on social media.
The man used a wheelchair to get close to the Mona Lisa
According to the report, the man used a wheelchair to make his disguise look genuine. As soon as he got close to the painting, he jumped out of the chair and dashed toward the painting.
He tried to smash the bulletproof glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci's most famous artwork. Upon failing to do so, he smeared cake on the glass and threw rose petals everywhere.
The man also shouted a slogan in French. The slogan was translated by a Twitter user, Marie Line Ulysse. It said:
"Think about earth, the planet, some people are just destroing the planet, think about this, every artist cares about the planet this is why I did that."
His short exhibit ended once security arrived and escorted him away.
The Mona Lisa is undoubtedly the most famous painting in the world. Thousands of fans flock to view the painting at the Louvre every day. Many of those visitors recorded and uploaded videos of the man online.
The video has garnered a mix of hilarious and shocking reactions from the netizens. Many thought that the man should be punished for his vandalism. At the same time, many were confused about the connection between the Mona Lisa and the environment.
Many pointed out the presence of bulletproof glass protecting the painting.
Others took their chances and joked about the situation.
This is not the first time the painting has been vandalized
The painting was created by Da Vinci sometime between 1503 and 1519. It was treated like any other artwork by the revolutionary until it was stolen in 1911 by an Italian handyman named Vincenzo Peruggia, who kept it hidden for two years. The Mona Lisa gained enormous popularity and became a household name in Paris during this time. Peruggia later returned the painting due to guilt.
Noah Charney, an art history professor and author explained how the painting rose in popularity. He said:
“There was nothing that really distinguished it per se, other than it was a very good work by a very famous artist – that’s until it was stolen. The theft is what really skyrocketed its appeal and made it a household name.”
Since then, the painting has been the target of numerous vandalism.
A man threw sulphuric acid over it, destroying its bottom part in the 1950s. A Bolivian student hit it with a stone. A woman in a wheelchair sprayed red paint on the painting, sharing her disagreement over the lack of access ramps, in an exhibition in Tokyo in 1974. A Russian tourist threw tea at the painting in 2009.
