In a statement, the Louvre “the man pretended to be disabled to be able to use a wheelchair and approach the work installed inside a safe case.”
“This individual threw a cake, which he had hidden in his personal belongings, on the glass screen of the Mona Lisa.”
He was “stopped and evacuated” from the Louvre and handed over to police.
This is by no means the first time the Mona Lisa has been attacked. He has been behind glass since a Bolivian man threw a stone at the painting in December 1956, damaging his left elbow.
In 2009, a Russian woman threw an empty cup of tea into the paint, which lightly scratched the box.
Hanging in the Salle des Etats of the Louvre, the most visited painting in the world received in 2019 a new glass roof that “improves transparency thanks to the latest anti-reflective technology while improving security,” according to the museum.
As part of a ten-month spring cleanup, the walls behind the frame also changed color from eggshell yellow to midnight blue.
Meanwhile, a new glue system was introduced to create shorter waiting times and a more intimate experience with painting.
The Mona Lisa attracts 10.2 million people a year, and it is estimated that about 80% of museum visitors come just to see the work.