Cake was smeared over the protective glass covering the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris on May 29, with the person described as being responsible indicating he was an environmental protester.
ADVERTISEMENTA bizarre incident occurred at the Louvre Museum in Paris yesterday (29 May) as a man in disguise smeared a cake over the Mona Lisa.
Videos posted on social media appear to show the young man arriving in a wheelchair, wearing a wig and lipstick.
One Twitter user wrote that a man “dressed as an old lady jump[ed] out of a wheelchair and attempted to smash the bulletproof glass of the Mona Lisa” before “smear[ing] cake on the glass.”
The man, whose identity has not been confirmed, claims to be an environmental protester.
"Think about the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about it. All the artists tell you to think about the Earth. All the artists think about the Earth. That's why I did this. Think about the planet," shouted the disguised man as he was escorted out of the museum by security.
The Mona Lisa is believed to be undamaged as it is protected by glass. Following the incident, guards were filmed cleaning off the smeared cream.
It is unclear what charges, if any, the man behind the stunt will face.
This is not the first time Leonardo Da Vinci's iconic painting has been attacked.
In 1956, the painting was damaged by two attacks: one with acid, and another with a rock – chipping a speck of pigment off of the portrait.
Both of these incidents prompted the museum to place bulletproof protective glass around the painting.
