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Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Paris
Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th-century painting is one of the world’s most famous works of art, housed in the Louvre in central Paris.
According to the Louvre, the Mona Lisa painting is protected by glass and has not been damaged.
Food Fight?
The video shows two female demonstrators wearing “food counterattack” T-shirts flinging the liquid.
They then stand in front of the picture, asking, “What’s more important? Art or the right to nutritious and sustainable food?
“Your farming system is unhealthy. “Our farmers are dying at work,” they say.
Museum security is then seen placing black screens in front of them before the room is evacuated.
Riposte Alimentaire (Food Counterattack) claimed responsibility for the stunt.
According to a statement made on X, formerly Twitter, the demonstration was part of efforts to integrate “food into the general social security system”.
It stated that the existing food paradigm “stigmatizes the most vulnerable and does not respect our fundamental right to food.”
The group advocated for citizens to be issued a food card worth €150 (£128) per month to spend on food.
Was this a fair reason?
The Louvre stated that supporters of Riposte Alimentaire, an environmental organization, splashed pumpkin soup on the painting around 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT), causing no harm.
According to the statement, the Salle des Etats, where the piece is displayed, was evacuated and reopened to tourists at 11:30 once cleaning was completed.
“The museum will file a complaint,” it said.
France’s Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, stated that “no cause” could justify targeting the Mona Lisa.
“Like our heritage [the painting] belongs to future generations,” she remarked during the broadcast.
Farmers have protested in the French capital in recent days, demanding an end to soaring fuel costs and simplified restrictions; on Friday, they blocked key roadways into and out of Paris.
The History of Damage to the Painting
The Mona Lisa has been protected by safety glass since the early 1950s, when it was damaged by a visitor who poured acid on it.
In 2019, the museum announced that it has installed a more transparent type of bulletproof glass to protect it.
In 2022, an activist tossed a cake at the painting, imploring people to “think of the Earth”.
The picture was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, sparking a global sensation. Vincenzo Peruggia, an employee at the world’s most visited museum, hid in a cabinet overnight to steal the painting.
It was retrieved two years later, when he attempted to sell it to an antiques dealer in Florence, Italy.
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