Paris: In a bizarre demonstration by a self-proclaimed climate activist, the iconic Mona Lisa painting came under attack at the famous Louvre Museum here.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, a 36-year-old man, disguised as an old woman in a wheelchair, suddenly rushed towards the half-length portrait painting and tried to smash the bulletproof glass of the Mona Lisa.
He then threw a cake at the portrait, leaving a white creamy smear on the glass.
However, the famous work by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci was unharmed thanks to the protective glass encasing the artwork.
Video clip of the incident went viral, where the person says: “Think of the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”
Watch the video shared extensively on social media:
MONA LISA SMEARED WITH CAKE 😱🍰
WATCH: The Mona Lisa was smeared with cake at the Louvre in Paris on Sunday by a man in a woman’s wig who jumped out of a wheelchair and said artists should focus more on the planet.
READ: https://t.co/61vXApw87V pic.twitter.com/OonZTUyQ1Q
— Daily Guardian (@dailyguardianph) May 30, 2022
The man, whose identity was not known, was taken away by security guards.
Louvre Museum officials were not available for comment.
Mona Lisa is the best known, most visited, most written about and most sung about work of art in the world.
This is not the first time it has come under attack by miscreants. Two of the striking incidents were the Mona Lisa being stolen from the museum by an employee in 1911, while in 1956, a Bolivian man threw a rock at the painting.
