Riposte Alimentaire/X
Environmental activists hurled soup at the Mona Lisa on Sunday.
CNN –
Protesters threw soup at the Mona Lisa painting in Paris on Sunday, but it was protected from damage by its glass casing.
Environmental group Riposte Alimentaire – which roughly translates to “Food Response” – said two protesters involved in its campaign were behind the vandalism.
The Louvre has reopened the Salle des Etats, which houses the Mona Lisa, after its evacuation.
“Two activists from the environmental movement 'Riposte Alimentaire' sprayed pumpkin soup on the bulletproof glass protecting the Mona Lisa this Sunday, January 28, 2024, at approximately 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET),” the museum said in a statement.
“The Louvre security personnel immediately intervened.”
The museum said it would file a complaint.
Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, hangs in the Louvre and is probably the most famous painting in the world. Every year, millions of visitors line up to pose with the small work of art, which stands just over 2.5 feet tall and less than 2 feet wide.
The enigmatic portrait is no stranger to both vandalism and theft.
It was stolen by a Louvre employee in 1911, increasing its international notoriety, and in the 1950s the underside of the canvas was subjected to an acid attack, prompting the museum to increase protective measures around the work, including bulletproof glass.
In 2009, a woman angrily threw a ceramic mug at the painting, breaking the mug but leaving the painting intact.
Then, in 2022, a visitor smeared icing on the Renaissance painting's protective glass.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
With previous reporting by Jacqui Palumbo