Most people adore the Mona Lisa, yet recently it has started to develop a history with people who do not like it very much. It has been vandalized twice in two years, the latest of which happened yesterday, Sunday, when two people threw pumpkin soup at it at the Louvre.
The attack continues the trend of attacks by environmentalist activists on important cultural symbols in the West, particularly art. They reckon if they do something alarming, ghastly enough to make the news, they would have forced the world to listen to them. And what are the messages that they desperately need us to hear?
And what are the messages that they desperately need us to hear?” On Sunday, it was “Food security is a right”. “Think of the earth” in 2022. Also in 2022, Van Gogh’s “Sunflower” was assaulted with a (likely tasty) can of tomato soup at the National Gallery in London. The activists made a speech where they informed listeners that Oil is very bad.
Following each attack, the fiery global debate and eco-revival the activists expect should happen never materialize. People simply shrug, mutter “That was pretty crazy uhn?” and carry on doing whatever they were doing. The soup is wiped off the protective bulletproof glass, the museum and galleries make statements, and the art world goes back to its quiet little show.
But at least we can hope, for the sake of the members of Riposte Alimentaire who committed Saturday’s vicious, headline-grabbing attack, that someone somewhere eats a tasty chicken sandwich in their honour. It is, certainly, what their organisation is all about.