A 36-year-old man has been arrested over the incident at the Louvre Museum in Paris
A man reportedly dressed as an old lady in a wheelchair attempted to smear the Mona Lisa with cake during a climate change protest at Paris’ iconic Louvre Museum.
According to reports, a 36-year-old man has been arrested and placed in psychiatric care after the bizarre incident on Sunday, that was captured on several phones and widely shared on social media.
No images have emerged showing the actual vandalism, only the aftermath.
The man appears to be wearing lipstick and a wig and can be seen alongside a wheelchair.
Officials at the Louvre, where Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece is on display, have reportedly declined to comment.
The artwork, which has been targeted previously, is protected by a bulletproof glass case and was not damaged during the incident.
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
Can anybody translate what ole dude was saying as they where escorting him out?😂 pic.twitter.com/Uy2taZ4ZMm
— Lukeee🧃 (@lukeXC2002) May 29, 2022
A Twitter user identified as Lukeee posted a video showing a museum employee wiping a creamy-looking mess off the glass. A second video showed a man dressed in white being escorted away by security guards while pushing a wheelchair.
Lukeee wrote on Twitter: “A man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheelchair and attempted 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.”
Speaking French, the man in the video says: “There are people who are destroying the Earth … All artists, think about the Earth. That’s why I did this. Think of the planet.”
An inquiry into an attempt to vandalise a cultural work had been opened, the Paris prosecutor’s office said, according to a report by Agence France-Presse, carried by the Guardian.
The Mona Lisa was protected by glass after a Bolivian man threw a rock at the painting in December 1956, damaging her left elbow. In 2005 it was placed in a reinforced case that also controls temperature and humidity.
A Russian woman threw an empty teacup at the painting in 2009.
The Mona Lisa, which was painted by da Vinci in the early 1500s, is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
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