The Enigmatic Target: Unraveling the Fascination Behind Mona Lisa’s Vandalism
Mona Lisa, an enigmatic and highly talked-about masterpiece in the art world, has experienced various incidents over time. Recently, the news of Mona Lisa being hit with a cake at the Louvre piqued my interest, prompting me to explore the historical incidents surrounding this iconic painting.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the Paris Museum’s director, Jacques Jaujard, orchestrated a covert evacuation of the museum’s precious artworks. On August 25th, 1939, the Louvre temporarily closed its doors under the guise of repair work. During this period, dedicated museum employees and department store workers carefully packed art pieces into white wooden boxes in nearby locations. Among the treasured artworks were the renowned Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the ancient Greek statue of Nike of Samothrace. Prior to evacuation, these priceless works were meticulously wrapped in layers of waterproof paper.
Throughout the occupation, valuable artworks found safe refuge in serene corners of the French countryside, shielded from potential bombing. However, some pieces that couldn’t be relocated fell victim to plunder by German occupiers. Notably, numerous Middle Eastern antiquities were among those that disappeared, yet many were thankfully returned after the war when museum restoration efforts commenced.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci has long been attracting vandals and is currently one of the best-protected artworks in the world.
Mona lisa has been vandalized or stolen 5 time trough out her history:
The global fame of the Mona Lisa can be attributed in part to its theft in 1911 by the Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. Alongside two others, Peruggia concealed themselves in a Louvre closet, waited until closing time, and absconded with the painting. At that time, the artwork was considered a minor piece by Leonardo. They made their escape on a train from Paris. The theft garnered significant media attention both in France and internationally. Peruggia kept the artwork hidden, even stashing it beneath the floorboards of his Paris apartment. Over two years later, he attempted to sell the painting to a dealer in Florence, intending to return what he believed was a lost Italian treasure. However, the dealer alerted the director of the Uffizi Galleries, leading to the recovery of the artwork and Peruggia’s subsequent arrest. After serving six months in prison, the painting was returned to the Louvre.
In 1956, an unfortunate incident occurred when a vandal poured acid on the lower part of the Mona Lisa while it was on display at a museum in Montauban, France. Later that year, a young Bolivian named Ugo Ungaza Villegas threw a rock at the painting, causing minor damage near the left elbow, which was subsequently repaired.
“I had a stone in my pocket and suddenly the idea to throw it came to mind,” he said at the time.
In April 1974, an upset disabled woman expressed her frustration with the museum’s policy by spraying red paint at the painting during its display at the Tokyo National Museum.
The year 2009 also witnessed another incident when a Russian woman took a teacup concealed in her bag and smashed it against the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Her actions were driven by her disappointment over being denied French citizenship. Calling the woman “clearly deranged,” a Louvre spokesperson told the New York Times that “viewing was only disturbed the time it took to pick up the pieces.” Although her behavior was described as “clearly deranged,” museum representatives swiftly addressed the situation, and the painting remained undamaged.
Finally, in 2022, the incident that everyone is currently discussing is the Mona Lisa being smeared with cake during an apparent climate protest. A man, disguised as an elderly woman and emerging from a wheelchair, attacked the iconic artwork and its high-tech glass encasement with cake. Although the glass was left with a whipped cream smudge, museum officials confirm that the Renaissance masterpiece itself remained unharmed.
The targeting of certain art by vandals raises two complex questions: Firstly, what drives individuals to attack works of art? And secondly, is the media’s handling of these attacks exacerbating the issue?
This phenomenon seems to serve as a means for some to gain fleeting fame or draw attention to their concerns. However, if the media were to remove the incentive of gaining attention by refraining from publishing the names or photographs of vandals, or their statements, it could potentially eliminate one motivation behind such incidents. Coupled with implementing more robust airport-style security at museum entrances universally, we could witness a significant decrease in thefts and attacks on art. By addressing these underlying factors, we may be able to protect our cultural heritage more effectively and preserve art for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
Mona Lisa is also an attraction for other great artists:
salvador Dali, in an article back in 1963, explained two cases of attacks on Mona Lisa. Dali, himself, was among the artists launched an attacked on this work of art by painting his self portrait as Mona Lisa in 1954.
- Marcel Duchamp, in 1919, draws a mustache on a photograph of the Mona Lisa, and at the bottom he letters the famous inscription “L.H.O.O.Q.” (Elle a chaud au cul).
2. Dalí did create a self-portrait as the Mona Lisa, in 1952 as well.
In an article in 1963, Salvador Dali also wrote about Mona Lisa.
The Mona Lisa has undergone two main species of typical attacks on her archetypal presence: first Duchamp’s attack with mustache and second is attack by anonymous by throwing a pebble at the picture or temporarily stealing it.
He explained that Marcel Duchamp’s work is a case of aggression by an artist against a masterpiece that embodies the maximum artistic idealization.
It is explained by an insight of Freud whose sublime definition of the Hero is: “The man who revolts against the authority of the father and finally overcomes it.” This definition is the antithesis of Dada which represented a culmination of the anti-heroic, anti-Nietzschean attitude to life.
In addition, the second is the primitive or naïve type of aggression, bearing in mind Freud’s revelation of Leonardo’s libido and subconscious erotic fantasies about his own mother, A simple naïve son, subconsciously in love with his mother, ravaged by the Oedipus complex, visits a museum.
Reference for Dali:
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/retrospective/salvador-dali-mona-lisa-essay-13450/
