Two Germans add their own art to Louvre’s Mona Lisa hall, get arrested

Two German men were arrested on September 20 after attaching two small paintings to a wall in the hall that houses the Mona Lisa at Paris's Louvre museum, according to police sources.

Using sticky tape, the men, each around 30 by 40 cm in size, affixed one of the artworks to display one man in armor, and the other to feature a portrait of the two men alongside a woman.

Security personnel at the museum promptly detained the pair and alerted the police, who subsequently arrested the two men for causing minor damage to the wall. The accused claimed they had done it out of lightheartedness.

The Louvre, which has been on high alert following a series of thefts at French museums and galleries, emphasized that neither the Mona Lisa, now behind a thick layer of protective glass, nor the museum suffered any damage as a result of the incident. Museum officials have been particularly vigilant after a major jewelry heist at the museum last October, during which eight valuable items were stolen, but the recovered four suspects have not recovered the stolen items despite extensive searches.

The incident comes despite the museum having identified numerous security flaws, including an outdated CCTV system, in a 2019 audit commissioned by the institution, whose recommendations were never implemented. The Louvre welcomed nearly nine million visitors last year, far exceeding its designed capacity, leading to overcrowding issues.

In response to these challenges, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a comprehensive overhaul of the museum in May, which includes plans for a new space to display the Mona Lisa and a new entrance. The arrested men are expected to appear in court following a formal complaint from the museum over the damage caused.