The smile is still there, behind its armored glass. The Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world, was entarred on Sunday at the Louvre Museum in Paris, without consequence, according to testimonies on social networks. According to photos and testimonies posted by tourists on Twitter or Instagram on Sunday, the incident occurred in the early afternoon. Several shots show the protective glass of Mona Lisa smeared with cream, cleaned by a man who seems to be a museum guard. Asked by AFP, the Louvre museum did not wish to comment.
A man disguised with a wig and a wheelchair
A Twitter user, who says he was present during the incident, claims the perpetrator was a disguised man with a wig, who got up from a wheelchair to hit the bulletproof glass, before to throw a cake at her. This user also posts a video in which the man in question is seen standing next to his wheelchair and being escorted out by security.
“There are people who are destroying the Earth. All artists, think of the Earth. That’s why I did this. Think about the planet”, says, in French, the man dressed in white, wig and cap on his head. In other images, the wheelchair can be seen placed behind the security cordon which visitors should not normally pass. No photos or videos captured the incident itself.
Behind a secure window since 1956
This is not the first time that Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting has been the victim of vandalism. In August 2009, a Russian visitor to the Louvre was arrested after throwing an empty teacup in the direction of Mona Lisa. The museum then explained that the cup had broken against the armored display case, which had been very slightly scratched. In December 1956, a Bolivian threw a stone at Mona Lisa, damaging his left elbow. After that, she had been placed behind a secure display case.
Presented since 2005 behind armored glass, protected by a special box where humidity and temperature are controlled, Mona Lisa sees millions of people parade each year who come to admire it in the largest museum in the world.