Mona Lisa is the star attraction of the Louvre, the most-visited museum in the world, which welcomed nearly nine million people last year.
According to museum officials, the painting is the main draw for 80 per cent of all of its guests, with viewers spending an average of 50 seconds each admiring the piece.
It is exhibited behind bullet-proof glass in the centre of the Salle des Etats, with the temperature and humidity inside its casing controlled to ensure the painting does not degrade.
The protective covering was upgraded with anti-reflective technology in 2019 to improve visitors’ viewing experience.
Many activists have targeted art to raise awareness about climate change in recent years, with the Mona Lisa having been targeted twice since 2022.
Two years ago, a man in a wheelchair disguised as a woman threw cake at the painting, shouting at onlookers to “think of the Earth”.
Earlier acts of vandalism saw a visitor throw a teacup at the glass casing in 2009.
In the 1950s, two separate attempts to damage the painting saw it targeted with acid and a rock.
The Mona Lisa boasts the highest known insurance valuation for a painting: in 1962, it was assessed as being worth $100 million, equal to nearly $1 billion today, a Guinness World Record.
Other artworks that have been targeted by climate activists in recent years include Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, housed in London’s National Gallery, which had soup thrown at it by protesters in October 2022.
Later the same year, campaigners glued themselves to Goya paintings in Madrid’s Prado museum.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
