A Guy Attacked The Mona Lisa With Cake & He Went All Out With His 'Old Lady' Disguise
Who's smiling now?
Cake smeared on the glass covering the Mona Lisa. Right: The man dressed as an old lady.
A man in disguise hurled a cake at the Mona Lisa, leaving the world's most famous painting covered in cream at the Louvre.
The incident happened in Paris on Sunday, in what officials say was some sort of climate protest.
A 36-year-old man pulled the stunt while wearing an old lady disguise, complete with a wig and wheelchair. He was detained by police afterward, the Paris prosecutor's office told the Associated Press.
The protester hurled the cake at the glass-encased painting and then proceeded to smear the cake around.
Witness videos of the incident show the man wearing a black wig, lipstick and a pink scarf.
One video shows the attack's aftermath with the cake smeared on the glass and a museum worker attempting to wipe it away.
\u201cMaybe this is just nuts to me\ud83d\udc80but an man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheel chair and attempted to smash the bullet proof glass of the Mona Lisa. Then proceeds to smear cake on the glass, and throws roses everywhere all before being tackled by security. \ud83d\ude02???\u201d— Lukeee\ud83e\uddc3 (@Lukeee\ud83e\uddc3) 1653839512
"Maybe this is just nuts to me, but a man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheelchair and attempted to smash the bulletproof glass of the Mona Lisa," read the tweet. "Then proceeds to smear cake on the glass and throws roses everywhere, all before being tackled by security???"
Another video posted by the same Twitter user shows the suspect being escorted out by the police while shouting something at bystanders in French.
“Think of the Earth! There are people who are destroying the Earth!" he said, according to AP. "Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”
\u201cCan anybody translate what ole dude was saying as they where escorting him out?\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Lukeee\ud83e\uddc3 (@Lukeee\ud83e\uddc3) 1653839512
The painting was not damaged, and it's unclear if the man will face any charges.
This is not the first time the painting has been the subject of an attack. The famous Leonardo da Vinci painting has a rich history of being targeted by theft and vandalism.
The Mona Lisa was stolen by a museum employee back in 1911 and after it was found, a vandal threw acid at it in 1950, damaging the painting. Ever since then, it has been kept behind a glass casing.