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The Mona Lisa is the world’s most famous work of art, created by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503
A man disguised as an elderly woman in a wheelchair threw a cake at Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The protective glass covering the painting was left stained with the white cream, undamaged.
The perpetrator, who was seen wearing a wig and lipstick, urged people to “think about the earth” as he was removed from the scene.
Witnesses described Sunday’s incident as “strange and surprising”.
And one of the museum’s visitors, Luke Sundberg, from the United States, saw what happened from the beginning.
The 20-year-old told the PA news agency, “The crowds of visitors were surprised and we saw a man in a wheelchair disguised as an old lady walked quickly to the painting and started punching it before smearing it with a candy bar.”
“It took about 10 to 15 seconds for the security men to take the man away, but the visitors were a little panicked,” he added.
He continued, “It was surprising, interesting and needed a lot of thought given the historical place of the Mona Lisa. It was a moment that happens once in a million.”
“Think of the Earth”
“Think about the land,” said the activist, who was also seen throwing flowers at the museum, as he was being taken out by security.
He added, “There are people who are destroying the earth. Think about it. Artists tell you: Think about the earth. That’s why I did this.”
On Monday, the Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest of a 36-year-old man and sent him to the police psychiatric unit, adding that it had opened an investigation into the damage to cultural artifacts.
The museum administration installed insulating glass on the Renaissance painting to protect it in the fifties of the last century, after an acid attack.
A video taken by Sondberg showed onlookers applauding after cleaning the glass of the painting from the cream.
Another museum visitor, Klevis, 26, from Albania asked: “What are the chances of that happening?”
The BBC has reached out to the Louvre for comment on the incident.