The Mona Lisa was attacked but unharmed when a visitor to the Louvre in Paris tried to smash the glass protecting the world’s most famous painting before smearing cake across its surface in an apparent environment-related publicity stunt.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Monday that the 36-year-old man was detained following Sunday’s incident and sent to a police psychiatric unit.
An investigation has been opened into the damage of cultural artifacts.
Videos posted on social media show a man in a wig and lipstick who arrived in a wheelchair. The man, whose identity was unknown, was also seen throwing roses in the museum gallery.
The perpetrator, disguised as an old lady, then jumped out of the wheelchair before assaulting the bulletproof glass.
The cake attack left a conspicuous white creamy smear but the famous work by Leonardo da Vinci was not damaged.
Officials at the Louvre Museum in Paris declined to comment on Monday on the bizarre incident.
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