Two climate activists threw cans of soup this Sunday on 'The Mona Lisa', also known as La Gioconda, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece on display at the Louvre, whose original canvas is protected by a sheet of glass installed in 2005.
The two women, who were filmed during their action that lasted almost two minutes, identified themselves as members of the group 'Riposte Alimentaire' (Alimentary Response), They threw the orange soup and they quickly passed under the wooden barriers that surround the painting.
“What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and long-lasting food? Our agricultural system is sick,” one of the activists shouted in French, while raising her fist.
Quickly, employees of the Louvre, the most visited museum on the planet, placed black panels to prevent the public from filming the scene.
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The room that houses Da Vinci's masterpiece (Salle des Etats) was evacuated to begin cleaning tasks.
The group described the soup throwing as “the starting gun (of a) civil resistance campaign, with a clear demand that benefits everyone: the social security of sustainable food.”
This Sunday's action coincides with the revolt of French farmers, who for days have blocked hundreds of kilometers of roads to demand better wages, fewer environmental regulations and more protectionism.
'La Gioconda', considered the most famous canvas in the world, was recently the subject of another symbolic attack when in May 2022 a pie was thrown at him.
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In recent months, in addition, various activists have carried out actions against works in various museums around the world.
In October 2022, two young men wearing “Just Stop Oil” t-shirts poured tomato soup on Van Gogh's “Sunflowers,” also protected by glass, at the National Gallery museum in London.
AFP AND EFE
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