Two activists threw soup on the glass that protects the painting “Mona Lisa” by the Italian genius Leonardo Da Vinci, on display at the Louvre in Paris this Sunday (28).
They wore Tshirts from the French organization Risposte Alimentaire (Portuguese: Food Aid), which said the protest was intended to draw attention to the need to protect the environment and food sources.
The women shouted: “What is more important? Art or the right to a healthy and sustainable food system?” and “Our agricultural system is sick, our farmers are dying at work.”
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Museum security personnel asked visitors to evacuate and the women were evacuated. At the same time, the smiling lady was covered with black panels while those present tried to capture the scene in photos and videos.
Farmers protest
The action came at a time when French farmers were protesting against President Emmanuel Macron's policies, and follows a series of other attacks on artworks: in 2022, activists threw soup at Vincent Van Gogh's painting “Sunflowers” at the National Gallery, London; That same year, other protesters taped Goya paintings at the Prado Museum in Spain.
“Gioconda” herself has already been attacked several times: in May 2022, a man threw a cream cake at her.
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The work was obscured by the glass case after another attack in 1956, when a Bolivian visitor threw a stone at the picture, damaging the painting. The glass has been armored since 2005.