In a very bizarre event that occurred at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the famous Mona Lisa painting became the target of its second attack in three years on Sunday. This time, it was planned by activists fighting climate change. The attack was started by two volunteers for the French group “Riposte Alimentaire” (Food Response), who went on to throw soup at the glass that was covering Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. The attackers were able to get past security guards and get near to the picture before starting their protest with soup. Using artwork to grab the attention of the masses has been performed several times before. How efficient the technique really is, is a matter of debate.
The Mona Lisa Soup Hurling Incident Raises Questions
The two women’s attack on the artwork was captured on camera and raised concerns about how to ensure a balance between protecting the arts and promoting a wholesome and sustainable food system. The activists yelled in French, asking, “What is more important? Art or the right to have a healthy and sustainable food system?” A statement from the climate activist group followed their activities which highlighted the protest’s goal of highlighting how urgent it is to protect the ecosystem and food supply.
Art vs. Sustainability
This was the second attack on the “Mona Lisa” in the previous three years such as this incident. In May 2022, protestors pushing for climate awareness smeared the painting’s protective glass with cream, posing a different kind of threat to it. The frequency of these occurrences is indicative of a widespread pattern in which activists working to increase public awareness of climate change target art.
The group behind this most recent attack is part of a broader activist movement for climate change that has engaged in similar activities in the past. Climate activists threw soup onto Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at the National Gallery in London in October 2022. The Prado museum in Madrid saw protesters attaching themselves to Goya artworks the next month.
Art and Environmental Activism
The Mona Lisa incident led to debates on social media regarding the nature of the attacks on art that are made to raise awareness for social issues. Users were divided about the approach with some feeling that the act did not do much for climate change while others felt that it was necessary to call out capitalist institutions that sponsor artworks while engaging in unsustainable practices contributing to global warming and climate change.
These examples show just how environmental activists are increasingly using the cultural value of artworks to raise awareness of issues related to climate change. The general theme of these attacks is a demand for immediate action to protect the environment and help promote sustainable practices even though the motivations behind them may vary. Targeting iconic works of art such as the “Mona Lisa” on a regular basis sheds light on the power of art as a symbol of protest and a conversation starter about the future of the world. Finding a balance between protecting artistic legacy and attending to the urgent issues of a changing climate is still a task facing the art industry.
Watch the video of the Mona Lisa attack here.
