A guy masquerading as an old woman in a wheelchair threw cake at Leonardo da Vinci's famed artwork, the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre in Paris. The undamaged item was left with white cream smeared on its protective glass. While being carried away from the scene, the culprit, who was wearing a wig and lipstick, begged people to think about the Earth.
Luke Sundberg, a visitor from the United States, witnessed the entire event. "When we looked up, a man in a wheelchair dressed as an elderly lady approached the painting and began hammering it before smearing cake all over it.," the 20-year-old told the PA news agency.
Man Dressed as Old Woman Throws Cake at Mona Lisa Painting
The BBC reported that it took approximately 10 to 15 seconds for security to remove the individual, although the audience appeared to worry a little bit. Since 1797, the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting has been on permanent exhibit at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
On Sunday (29 May), social media users released a video of the aftermath of an alleged incident in the gallery area where the painting is displayed. According to eyewitness accounts, a guy dressed in lipstick and a wig leaped out of a wheelchair before attempting to breach the bulletproof glass that guarded the artwork, as per the Independent.
"Maybe this is just crazy to me, but [a] man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheelchair and attempts to smash the bulletproof glass of the Mona Lisa, then proceeds to smear cake on the glass, and throws roses everywhere all before being tackled by security," a museum visitor tweeted as @lukeXC2002.
Act Speculated as Protest Against Climate Change
Soon later, the Twitter user released another video showing a young guy being escorted away by security personnel who were pushing an empty wheelchair beside him. He was dressed in white pants, a T-shirt, and an orange scarf. He looked to be sporting a black wig as well.
As he was led away, he lifted his arms and cried in French, "Think about the Earth, think about the Earth, there are people who are ruining the Earth, think about it! All the artists tell you to think about the Earth, all artists think about the Earth, that's why I did this."
His remarks aroused speculation that the act was staged as a protest against climate change. The guy was promptly apprehended and removed by reception and surveillance agents before being handed over to police, who arrived on the scene, according to a complaint filed by the Louvre Museum, Newsweek reported.
It is not the first time the Mona Lisa has been vandalized. Since a Bolivian man threw a rock at the painting in December 1956, injuring her left elbow, it has been kept under glass. A Russian lady hurled an empty teacup at the picture in 2009, slightly scratching the case.
The world's most visited artwork, which hangs in the Louvre's Salle des états, received a new glass cover in 2019 that enhances transparency owing to the newest anti-reflective technology while boosting security, according to the museum.
The walls behind the frame were also repainted from eggshell yellow to midnight blue as part of a ten-month spring cleaning.
Meanwhile, a new queuing system was implemented to reduce wait times and provide a more personal encounter with the artwork. Every year, 10.2 million people visit the Mona Lisa, with more than 80 percent of museum visitors coming only to see the painting, as per The Telegraph via MSN.
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