Taste
Six incidents in which the Mona Lisa has suffered damage
Last week, environmental activists threw soup at Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Such incidents have occurred before throughout history.
Last week, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa suffered again. Environmentalists threw soup at the world's most famous work of art in the Louvre, but fortunately the painting was able to count on the protection of the glass behind which it stood. It was the sixth time in history that the oil-painted Lisa di Antonmaria Gherardini di Montagliari was the target of vandalism and theft.
It was big news: environmental activists, demonstrating for healthy and sustainable living, threw soup at the Mona Lisa in the Paris Louvre. Fortunately, the famous painting has been protected by a thick glass plate since 1956, so the artwork was not damaged. It is not the first time that the Mona Lisa has been targeted by such actions. In total, the Mona Lisa has come face to face with vandals and thieves six times since it moved into the museum during the French Revolution (1789-1799).
1911: Mona Lisa was stolen
One of the reasons why the Mona Lisa is internationally famous is thanks to the theft in 1911 by the Italian Vincenco Peruggia. That year, Peruggia and two accomplices hid themselves in a closet in the Louvre, emerged when the museum was closed, took the painting and boarded a train that transported them from Paris. As more and more attention came from both the French press and beyond, he kept the work and even hid it under the floor in his Parisian apartment. About two years after the theft, Peruggia attempted to sell the Mona Lisa to an art dealer in Florence, with the aim of returning the painting to its roots in Italy. The dealer contacted the director of Uffizi Galleries, who recognized the work and called the police. Peruggia served six months behind bars and the work was returned to the Louvre.
1956: Acid and stone were thrown at the artwork
In 1956, not once, but twice, the Mona Lisa was attempted to be destroyed. First, a vandal tried to damage the canvas by throwing acid at it, damaging the lower part. Later that year the Bolivian pitched Hugo Unjaga Villegas a stone to the Mona Lisa. The reason: 'I had a stone in my hand and suddenly had the idea to throw it at the painting.' Fortunately, the glass plate, which was installed after the first incident, prevented the attack, causing only minor damage to the painting.
1972: Damage due to red paint
The Mona Lisa rarely leaves the Louvre, which explains why more than a million people saw the artwork when it moved once to the National Museum in Tokyo. One of those visitors was 25-year-old Tomoko Yonezu, a Japanese woman who tried to spray the artwork with red paint on the first day. Days before the opening, a discussion arose about the exhibition, as it was under the guise of crowd control no people who were in need of assistance were admitted. Yonezu took matters into his own hands and had some success. About 20 to 30 drops of paint reached the canvas, but the canvas was spared. When the woman in question was in court, human rights organizations stood outside the courthouse because they saw "sexism" in the legal proceedings. Yonezu ultimately got away with a fine, but still achieved something with her action. The museum organized a day where only those in need had access to the exhibition.
2009: Pelted with a tea cup
A Russian woman visited the Louvre in 2009 and decided to throw an empty tea cup at the painting. Once again, the glass protected the Mona Lisa from any damage. The woman's motivation was that she had been denied French citizenship. Critics believed that the painting should be better protected from such attacks and moved to its own gallery, separate from other works. Ultimately, additional measures were taken, including queuing to control the crowds around the painting and a wooden balustrade was installed to keep visitors at a distance. The glass was also upgraded in 2019.
2022: Cake incident
Last June, a man dressed as an old woman drove up to the painting in his wheelchair and tried to break the glass. When that didn't work, he spread a cake over the glass. Eventually the man was overpowered by security and shouted shouts about protecting the Earth.
2023: Climate activists throw soup at Mona Lisa
Last week the Mona Lisa had to suffer again. Climate activists, who demonstrated for healthy and sustainable food, threw soup at the painting from the wooden balustrade and then climbed over it and shouted protest slogans next to the Mona Lisa. After the two women were led away by security, the room was cleared and the painting cleaned. After an hour, visitors could admire Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece again.
