In a concerning incident reminiscent of the 2022 cream attack, the renowned ‘Mona Lisa’ painting faced another assault, this time from climate change activists at the Louvre museum in Paris on Sunday.
Two individuals, associated with the French organization “Riposte Alimentaire” (Food Response), took aim at the protective glass shield in front of the masterpiece. Evading security measures, they managed to breach a security barrier, approaching the painting closely before hurling soup at the protective glass.
In the midst of their act, the activists, speaking in French, raised a provocative question: “What is more important? Art or the right to have a healthy and sustainable food system?” according to Reuters. Their actions were accompanied by a statement from the climate activist group, emphasizing their protest’s intent to underscore the urgency of environmental protection and sustainable food sources.
This marks the second assault on the globally acclaimed artwork within a span of three years. The motivations behind such attacks align with a broader trend where activists leverage art as a platform to draw attention to climate change issues. Previously, in May 2022, the ‘Mona Lisa’ painting was targeted in a protest that involved smearing cream on the protective glass.
This incident adds to a series of attacks on artworks by climate activists globally. Other instances include an attempt to throw soup at Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at London’s National Gallery in October 2022 and campaigners gluing themselves to Goya paintings in Madrid’s Prado museum the following month. The recurring nature of these actions highlights the ongoing intersection of art and activism in the context of pressing environmental concerns.