Alleged Climate Activist Tried to Smear Cake on ‘Mona Lisa,’ Attack Foiled by Bulletproof Glass

Visitors take pictures in front of "Mona Lisa" on Oct. 7, 2019. Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images

The “Mona Lisa,” possibly the world’s most famous artwork, was the target of attempted vandalism on May 29 when a man threw a piece of cake at the enclosure and smeared the glass with icing.

The 36-year-old man was disguised as an old woman and arrived in a wheelchair. Speaking in French as he was being escorted out, the man said, “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,” according to The Associated Press, leading to suggestions that he might be a climate activist.

Videos and images uploaded on Twitter showed Louvre Museum staff wiping the glass clean and receiving a round of applause from stunned onlookers.

The wheelchair was possibly used as an excuse to get closer to the painting, based on the reduced mobility policy followed by the museum.

Bulletproof glass protects the painting, which is on display in the Salle des États room at the Louvre in Paris. Although the substance left a smear on the surface of the glass, the painting was not damaged.

The man was detained and sent to a police psychiatric unit. An investigation has been opened into the incident for damages to cultural artifacts, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

The man’s identity has not been revealed. He arrived wearing a wig and lipstick, and was also seen throwing roses in the museum gallery.

The Louvre confirmed the attack involved a “patisserie,” or French pastry, in a statement about the incident.

According to the museum, the “Mona Lisa” has been enclosed behind glass since the 1950s, and the bulletproofing was added in 2019.

“The museum salutes the professionalism of its agents who reacted immediately during this incident,” the Louvre said, according to Food and Wine. “It’s also a reminder that monitoring national collections is at the heart of their mission.”

As for the “Mona Lisa,” it is considered one of the most valuable paintings in the world, an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Painted in the 16th century, it has been displayed at the Louvre since 1797. The “Mona Lisa” has been subject to interesting theories, including a suggestion that there are hidden portraits underneath the artwork.

Over its 500 years of existence, the masterpiece has been the target of attacks before. In the 1950s, a vandal threw acid on the painting, which resulted in the introduction of the glass enclosure.

In 2009, a Russian woman who was allegedly angry about not receiving French citizenship threw a ceramic cup at the painting’s glass enclosure. The cup was shattered but the painting was unharmed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.