The 519 year old painting ‘Mona Lisa’ has been vandalized at the Lourve Museum by a man disguised as an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
The incident saw a man smear the bulletproof casing that encloses the artwork with cake in what was suggested to be an environmental protest.
Footage captured by shocked museum attendees saw the perpetrator leap from their wheelchair and attempt to smash the bulletproof glass before smearing cake and throwing roses around the gallery.
One visitor posted videos of the altercation to Twitter, which you can see for yourself below.
One of the two videos sees the vandal dressed in a baseball cap, black bob-length wig and the Y2K-inspired useless skinny scarf as they are being escorted out of the museum by security.
“There are people who are destroying the Earth …all artists, think about the Earth. That’s why I did this. Think of the planet,” the offender allegedly said.
Reports claim that the vandal was a 36-year-old man, who has now been arrested and placed in psychiatric care after the incident.
As per The Louvre’s website, museum rules stipulate that all guests must undergo security checks prior to admission into the gallery.
In a statement obtained by The New York Times, representatives for The Louvre claimed that the museum officials had complied with all procedures, including that for people with reduced mobility.
According to the publication, the vandal was allowed close access to the artwork due to procedures that allowed people with reduced mobility to get close to the artwork and allow them to “admire this major work of the Louvre.”
The museum has said that the half-century artwork remains unharmed.
While the vandal’s motives are likely linked to his views on the environment, perhaps he is emulating Marie Antionette’s infamous phrase of ‘let them eat cake’.
