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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Coco Khan

Why do people attack artworks? We ask an expert

Pollock Banksy
Illustration of a man and a picture throwing cake at each other in a gallery
‘Some attack art under the guise of it being performance.’ Illustration: Lalalimola/The Guardian

This year, a man disguised as a frail, elderly woman jumped out of a wheelchair and smeared cake on the Mona Lisa, protesting about the attention given to art in the face of climate breakdown. The painting was undamaged, defended by glass installed in 1956 when someone threw a rock at it. This month, climate protesters also covered – and glued themselves to the frame of – John Constable’s The Hay Wain in London.Why do people attack art? I asked Noah Charney, an art historian specialising in art crime.

Is it right the Mona Lisa gets attacked more than other works of art?
It’s a prime target: it’s the most famous artwork in history. And it’s become a stand-in icon for France.

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