An apparent disguised man dressed as an elderly woman in a wheelchair threw some cake at the glass that protected the Mona Lisa at Louvre Museum. He shouted at people not to forget about planet Earth.
Monday’s statement by the Paris prosecutor stated that the 36-year old man was taken into custody following Sunday’s incident. He was then sent to a psychiatric unit. A probe has been launched into the destruction of cultural artifacts.
Social media posts showed a young man wearing a lipstick and wig who arrived in a wheelchair. The unidentified man was also seen in the museum gallery throwing roses to his slack-jawed visitors.
Although the cake attack left a visible white cream smear on one side of the glass, Leonardo da Vinci’s famous work was not damaged.
The man in the wig was escorted away by security guards as he shouted to the stunned visitors: “Think about the Earth!” There are many people who are destroying our planet! It is a terrible situation. Artists will tell you to think about the Earth. This is why I did it.
The glass was then removed by guards. Louvre confirmed that the art was attacked by a “patisserie”.
This 16th-century Renaissance masterpiece has been through a lot during its more than 500 years of existence.
A museum employee stole the painting in 1911, which helped increase its international fame. It was also damaged by acid attacks inflicted on it by a vandal in 1950s. Since then, the painting has been kept behind glass.
A 2009 Russian woman was furious at being denied French citizenship. She threw a ceramic bowl at the cup, but it didn’t break the glass or damage the painting.
