In several videos published on social networks on Sunday, we can see the glass that protects the masterpiece covered with a layer of cream. The arrested man evoked a gesture in support of the environmental cause.
On social networks, several videos were published this Sunday, reporting a man throwing a piece of cake against the window that protects The Mona LisaLeonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The facts, mentioned by the Spanish daily The country et CNN Brasil, would have taken place Sunday, May 29 at midday. At 1:30 p.m., a Twitter user écrit“I just saw a man throw a piece of cake at the Mona Lisa.” Two and a half hours later, he publishes a video, where we can see the famous painting behind its protective glass. The latter is stained with what looks like cream, which a guard is trying to clean.
“It seems unreal to me, but a man dressed as an old lady got up from a wheelchair and tried to break the protective glass of the Mona Lisa. He then spread cake on the glass, and threw roses around him before being overpowered by security,” reads the description of the video.
On a video taken from another angle, guards are also seen cleaning the protective glass. A wheelchair is present, in front of the safety cordon that visitors should not normally exceed. The chair is then taken away.
A reason that would be environmental
Finally, a last video shows the man who would be responsible for the incident, when he is escorted to the exit by the security guards of the museum. Decked out in a wig and a cap, he pushes the same wheelchair as seen in the previous videos, and speaks French.
“Think about the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about it. The artists, (Illa?) tells you: ‘think about the Earth’. All the artists, think about the Earth. That’s why I did it. Think about the planet,” shouts the man in the gallery displaying the painting. On the ground, you can see rose petals.
This is not the first time that Mona Lisa, a priceless painting by Leonardo da Vinci, has been the victim of an attempt to degrade. As reminded The country, in August 2009, a tourist had thrown a cup against the protective glass. In 1974, it was in Tokyo that the oil underwent an attempt to degrade it, using a red spray. Finally, in 1957, a Bolivian had thrown a stone against the painting, damaging it slightly. As reported The worldhe said at the time: “I had a stone in my pocket, and suddenly the idea of throwing it came to me…”.