Leonardo da Vinci’s work, La Gioconda (also known as the Mona Lisa), on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, was attacked this afternoon. According to information from the Spanish newspaper El País, a guest threw a pie on the board.
The person who launched the object is yet to be identified. It is not yet known what inspired him. At the time of the incident, she was in a wheelchair and wearing a wig. Tourists at the scene claim that the attacker was quickly apprehended and fired.
The painting is not damaged, as it is protected by a crystal plate. Museum guards quickly cleared the protective screen.
The painting had faced other acts of vandalism in the past as well. In August 2009, a woman threw a cup of tea at work, which broke when it hit a protective window. In 1974, when “Monalisa” was exhibited in Japan, another woman spray-painted the painting. But in both the cases no damage was done.
