TWO German citizens were taken into custody on Saturday evening after they affixed two small paintings to a wall in the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre Museum in Paris, police sources confirmed.
The incident occurred in the hall dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, where visitors typically gather to view the world-renowned masterpiece. The two men used adhesive tape to attach the artworks, each measuring 30 by 40 cm, to the wall surface.
One of the attached images depicted one of the men dressed in armor, while the other featured a portrait of the pair alongside a woman. Museum security personnel detained the individuals and alerted law enforcement, who arrested them on charges of causing minor damage to the property.
During police interviews, the suspects stated that their actions were motivated by a desire for entertainment rather than any malicious intent. They are expected to be summoned to court once the museum files a formal complaint regarding the damage.
Officials confirmed that the Mona Lisa, currently protected behind a thick layer of reinforced glass, was not harmed during the episode.
The arrest comes amid heightened security awareness at French cultural institutions following a series of high-profile thefts. In October of the previous year, the Louvre itself was the target of a daylight heist in which eight pieces of jewelry valued at millions of dollars were stolen. Although four suspects have been apprehended, the stolen items remain missing despite extensive investigations by French authorities.
The burglary exposed significant security vulnerabilities at the museum, including an outdated CCTV system. Many of these flaws had been identified in a 2019 audit commissioned by the museum, but the findings were reportedly never implemented.
With approximately nine million visitors last year, well above its designed capacity, the Louvre has faced ongoing challenges related to overcrowding. In May, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a comprehensive renovation plan that includes the construction of a new entrance and a dedicated new space for the Mona Lisa to improve visitor flow and security.
With all that talk about overcrowding and security gaps, I wonder if this was more about attention than anything else.
Does anyone else find the idea of displaying your own portrait next to the Mona Lisa oddly impressive?
I can’t believe they just taped them up in such a busy gallery. The security must have been distracted by the crowds.
Honestly, ‘for fun’ sounds like the laziest excuse I’ve ever heard. Just go to an art festival somewhere else.