A man dressed as an old lady who uses a wheelchair throws cake at Mona Lisa, the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting in Paris Louvre. The work, unharmed, was left with smears of white cream on the protective glass.
The culprit, seen wearing a wig and lipstick, encouraged people to “think Earth” as they were led away from the scene. The events Sunday were described as “shocking” by witnesses. A visitor to the Louvre from the United States, Luke Sundberg, saw the whole thing unfold. “The crowd started to gasp, and we looked up. Some guy in a wheelchair dressed like an elderly lady ran over to the painting, started pounding on it, then put frosting on top of it,” the 20-year-old told a news agency.
The 36-year-old was taken into custody and sent to the psychiatric ward of the police, the Paris prosecutor confirmed on Monday, adding that it had launched an investigation into damage to the cultural artefact.
The Renaissance painting had been protected by glass installed in the 1950s to shield it from an acid attack.