Watch: Moment protesters throw soup at Mona Lisa painting
Protesters have thrown soup at the glass-protected Mona Lisa painting in France, calling for the right to “healthy and sustainable food”.
The 16th Century painting by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the world’s most famous artworks, and is held at the Louvre in central Paris.
It sits behind bulletproof glass so is unlikely to have been damaged.
Video shows two female protesters wearing T-shirts that read “food counterattack” throwing the liquid.
They then stand in front of the painting, saying: “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?
“Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work,” they add.
Museum security are then seen putting black screens in front of them before the room is evacuated.
A group called Riposte Alimentaire (“Food counterattack”) claimed responsibility for the stunt.
In a statement sent to AFP news agency, they said the soup throwing marked the “start of a campaign of civil resistance with the clear demand… of the social security of sustainable food”.
Rachida Dati, France’s Minister for Culture, said “no cause” can justify the Mona Lisa being targeted.
“Like our heritage [the painting] belongs to future generations,” she said on X, formerly Twitter.
The French capital has seen protests by farmers in recent days, calling for an end to rising fuel costs and for regulations to be simplified – on Friday they blocked key roads in and out of Paris.
The Mona Lisa has been behind safety glass since the early 1950s, when it was damaged by a visitor who poured acid on it.
In 2019, the museum said it had installed a more transparent form of bulletproof glass to protect it.
The painting was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, causing an international sensation. Vincenzo Peruggia, an employee of the world’s most visited museum, hid in a cupboard overnight to take the painting.
It was recovered two years later when he tried to sell it to an antiques dealer in Florence, Italy.
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.
