A climate change protester attempted to make a statement by throwing a cake at the iconic “Mona Lisa” painting in Paris. The 16th century portrait — which was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci — is regarded as the world’s most famous painting.
Witnesses at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday reported that a man disguised as an elderly woman sprung out of a wheelchair and attempted to break the painting’s protective layer before smearing it with cake. Thankfully, the painting was spared from damage.
The attacker was quickly tackled by security, according to eyewitnesses. As he was being dragged away, the man shouted about climate change and saving the planet.
“Think of the planet… there are people who are destroying the planet, think about that … That’s why I did it,” the man said according to The Art Newspaper.
Thankfully, the “Mona Lisa” was not harmed by the cake stunt.
One video that was uploaded to social media shows a Louvre staff member cleaning off the glass pane while another can be seen removing a wheelchair.
Mona Lisa after cake. She looks fatter 😅 pic.twitter.com/6JkFW4p6VF
— Kl (@klevisl007) May 30, 2022
The “Mona Lisa” is believed to be a portrait of a French noblewoman. It was originally part of King Francis I of France’s art collection and was one of the first works of art to be displayed at the Louvre.
The “Mona Lisa,” has the highest-known insurance valuation for a painting, according to Guinness World Records. The painting was insured for $100 million in 1962–or $172 million today–in preparation for the painting to be loaned out to the U.S. for a special exhibition, according to Forbes.
“The museum salutes the professionalism of its agents who reacted immediately during this incident. It also recalls that monitoring national collections is at the heart of their missions,” the museum told Fox News on Monday, shortly after the incident.
