“Unlocking the Enigma: Discover the Hidden Mysteries Behind the Mona Lisa’s Smile”
After three decades of calm, on August 2, 2009, another protester decided to target the work.
The culprit was a Russian woman, disgruntled with authorities who had refused to grant her French citizenship. The woman entered the Louvre carrying her concealed weapon: a ceramic mug. Shocking museum patrons, she angrily hurled it against the Mona Lisa. Predictably, the mug shattered against the bullet proof glass, causing only a minor annoyance to the cleaning crew as they swept the ceramic shards.
On May 29, 2022, the Mona Lisa suffered a potentially more dangerous attack. Museum visitors stepped aside from the painting, allowing for an elderly woman on a wheelchair to admire it from up close. Suddenly, the lady leapt to her feet, produced a cake frosted in white cream and smashed it against Lisa’s face. The lady then proceeded to pummel the frame and glass pane with her fists, before being seized by security. As she was led away, she screamed at the tourists, urging them to ‘Think of the Earth!’
Always good advice…
The ‘lady’ turned out to be a 36-year-old man in a wig and lipstick, and was later detained in a police psychiatric unit.
This takes us to January 27, 2024, the last act of vandalism at the time of writing this episode.
At around 10am, local time, two protesters entered the Salle des Etats, where the Mona Lisa is routinely exhibited, and then proceeded to cover the painting in pumpkin soup, before delivering their message: ‘What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food? Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work!’
