Recently, a man disguised as an elderly woman in a wheelchair threw a slice of cake at the Mona Lisa in order to raise awareness about climate change. Luckily, the painting was not damaged thanks to its protective glass. The incident took the world by storm and inspired me to investigate all of the other scandals the Mona Lisa has endured. 

Many people don’t know that the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, which is why it is so famous. That year, an Italian man named Vincenzo Peruggia and two others hid in a closet until the museum closed. Once the coast was clear, they stole the painting seamlessly, leaving no tracks behind. Two years later, Perrugia attempted to sell the masterpiece to an art dealer in Florence. Huge mistake. Perrugia was caught, and the painting was safely returned to the Louvre. 

1956 was a tumultuous year for the Mona Lisa. First, someone threw acid at the painting, and once again, the protective glass saved the day. Later that year, someone hurled a rock at the painting, which caused the glass to break and chipped the pigment on the left elbow. But, it was quickly restored. 

In 1974, the Mona Lisa was touring around the world. When it was in Tokyo, a lady vandalized the protective glass with red spray paint in order to protest the museum and their lack of disabled rights. She was convicted of misdemeanor and forced to pay 3,000 yen. 

In 2009, a Russian woman hurled a teacup at the painting because she was enraged that she had been refused her French citizenship. Unsurprisingly, the protective glass was the hero once again. The event ended up serving as a message that greater security was needed.

As we all know and most recently, the Mona Lisa was caked. Over the years, the Mona Lisa has had its fair share of scandals, and I suspect that there will be more in the future.