Videos have circulated online of the man urging artists to ‘think Earth’ after he attempted to break the protective glass around Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. The painting remained unharmed, Louvre spokeswoman Nadia Refsi said in an emailed statement confirming the incident.
The Paris prosecutor’s office clarified by e-mail on Monday that he was opening an investigation into the incident after hospitalizing the young man.
A clip showed security guards escorting the man as he shouted in French: “Think of the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this,” according to the Associated Press.
Other clips showed staff cleaning what appeared to be white cake or cream from the bulletproof protective glass around the 16th century painting.
The Mona Lisa, housed in one of the most famous museums in the world, has already been targeted.
In 1911, the painting was stolen by a museum employee. In 1956, in two separate incidents, it was hit by acid and a stone, after which the painting was encased in glass to prevent further damage. Decades later, in 2009, a woman attacked him with a ceramic mug, the AP reported.