Mona Lisa portrait attacked by man dressed as a woman
What's the story
The iconic portrait of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris was recently attacked by a man who was disguised as an old woman. The man was sitting in a wheelchair before he tried to smash the bulletproof glass encasing the masterpiece and then smeared cake on the glass. The video of the act has been grabbing eyeballs on social media platforms.
Incident
No damage was caused to the painting
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the man was wearing a large wig and a red stole. He was sitting in his wheelchair before he attacked the painting, smeared cake on the glass, and threw roses everywhere. However, he couldn't inflict any real damage due to the protective glass. Security tackled the man and removed him from the room immediately.
Twitter Post
Here is the video of the crowd photographing the situation
Maybe this is just nuts to me💀but an man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheel chair and attempted to smash the bullet proof glass of the Mona Lisa. Then proceeds to smear cake on the glass, and throws roses everywhere all before being tackled by security. 😂??? pic.twitter.com/OFXdx9eWcM
— Lukeee🧃 (@lukeXC2002) May 29, 2022
Painting
Why did the man try to destroy the painting?
The man apparently was trying to attract attention to the issue of climate change. While the security was escorting him, he shouted, "Some people are trying to destroy the Earth, think of the Earth! Artists need to think about the Earth! That's why I did it." The video of the man shouting was posted on Twitter and it instantly went viral online.
Twitter Post
Here is the video of the man
Aquí el momento en que se llevan a quien le aventó un pastel a la Monalisa.pic.twitter.com/HBayMOdcKV
— Alejandro Alemán (@elsalonrojo) May 29, 2022
Attacks
Past attacks on the iconic art piece
The painting has faced similar attacks in the past. It was stolen by a museum employee in 1911. In 1956, a woman splashed acid on it, which hit the lower parts of the portrait. In the same year, a Bolivian student hurled a rock at it, prompting the placement of the bullet-proof glass. In 2009, a Russian woman threw a teacup at the painting.
Brief
Know about the famous painting
Known as the most parodied work in the world of art and an icon of the Italian Renaissance, the Mona Lisa painting was created in 1503 by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. According to historians, the painting is of Madam Lisa Giocondo, wife of a Florentine merchant. The unique smile and mysterious identity of the Mona Lisa attract lakhs of tourists throughout the year.