PARIS — Two climate activists on Sunday threw soup at the glass that is protecting the famous Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The activists were reportedly shouting slogans for a sustainable food system following protests by French farmers against multiple issues, which include low wages, according to The Associated Press.
The activists are part of an environmental group called Riposte Alimentaire, which means “Food Response,” according to CNN.
“What’s the most important thing?” they shouted, according to the AP. “Art, or right to a healthy and sustainable food?”
The Louvre evacuated the “Salle des Etats” following the incident and has since reopened, CNN reported. The “Salle des Etats” is the room where the Mona Lisa is housed.
“Two activists from the environmental movement ‘Riposte Alimentaire’ sprayed pumpkin soup on the armoured glass protecting the Mona Lisa, this Sunday, January 28, 2024, around 10 a.m. (4aET),” a statement from the museum said, according to CNN.
The Louvre said the Mona Lisa painting was not damaged, according to the BBC.
The Mona Lisa is a 16th-century painting by Leonardo da Vinci and one of the most famous pieces of art in the world, according to the BBC. It is currently held at the Louvre in Paris. It brings in millions of visitors every year, CNN reported. It is about 2.5 feet tall and less than two feet wide.
It is also now the first time that Mona Lisa has been involved in vandalism or other crimes. According to CNN, it was stolen by a museum employee in 1911 and it suffered an acid attack in the 1950s which led to protective measures surrounding the painting like bulletproof glass.
A woman threw a ceramic cup at the Mona Lisa in 2009 and another visitor put frosting over the glass in 2022, according to CNN. The painting was unharmed in both incidents.