- The Mona Lisa was attacked with a pastry by a man disguised as an elderly woman on Sunday.
- Twitter videos show the world-famous painting's glass cover in the Louvre smeared with cream.
- According to Sky News, the culprit urged people to think about the planet as he was escorted away.
The Mona Lisa was smeared with a pastry by a man disguised as an elderly lady at the Louvre in Paris on Sunday, a museum representative confirmed to Insider.
According to video footage of the incident shared on Twitter by Luke Sundberg, a 20-year-old witness who uses the username @lukeXC2002, the world-famous Leonardo da Vinci painting was attacked by a man who jumped up from a wheelchair and covered the protective glass over the artwork in cream.
According to Sundberg's tweet, the man also threw rose petals around the scene before being escorted away by security.
Speaking to Insider, Sundberg said "it was shocking, to see something so historic vandalized" and that it "didn't really seem real at in the moment."
—Lukeee🧃 (@lukeXC2002) May 29, 2022
In a statement sent to Insider, a representative for the museum said the incident occurred in the Salle des Etats, where the Mona Lisa is exhibited.
"A visitor simulated a handicap situation to use a wheelchair and approach the work installed in a secure display case," the representative said.
The statement added that the person smeared the painting's glass cover with "a pastry that he had hidden in his personal effects," adding that it had "no effect on the painting, which suffered no damage."
In a second video shared by Sundberg, the man, who appears to be wearing a wig and makeup, is escorted off the premises by museum security and can be seen talking to spectators in French.
According to a translation by Sky News, the person in the video said: "Think of the planet, there are people who are destroying the planet, think about that. That's why I did it."
"Everybody seemed to panic a little but then applauded once the man was taken away," Sundberg told Insider of the aftermath, noting that it was especially interesting to him that the man snuck a pastry in "by pretending to be a disabled old woman."
Sky News reported that the Mona Lisa has previously been the center of similar incidents. The artwork was stolen by a museum employee in 1911, and later doused with acid while on display in 1950, which is why it's now kept behind glass, according to the publication.
In a 2009 incident, a Russian woman who was frustrated at not being able to get French citizenship threw a ceramic cup at the painting, Sky News added. The cup reportedly shattered but did not harm the artwork.
The Louvre confirmed to Insider that the individual in question was handed over to the local police after Sunday's incident and that the museum has filed a complaint.
The museum's statement concluded: "The museum salutes the professionalism of its agents who reacted immediately during this incident. It also recalls that monitoring national collections is at the heart of their missions."
Representatives for France's Prefecture of Police did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.