When Art Becomes Protest: The 13 Most Famous Cases of Art Vandalism

Art has the power to inspire, evoke emotions, and convey profound messages. However, sometimes people or groups use this channel to send their own messages, occasionally in disruptive ways. Throughout history, many masterpieces have been targeted by acts of vandalism, turning art into a stage for protests or extreme statements. Here’s a look at 13 of the most famous art vandalism cases:

The Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda, is famous not only for her enigmatic smile but also for the multiple attacks she’s endured:

• 1911: Vincenzo Peruggia, a former museum employee, stole the painting from the Louvre, hiding it for two years before being caught. His motivation was to return the painting to Italy, believing it had been stolen by Napoleon.
• 1956: A decade after the end of World War II, the Mona Lisa faced a new attack. On New Year’s Eve, a man threw a stone at the painting, shattering its protective glass and causing damage to the lower part of the artwork near her left elbow. Despite restoration, these damages are still visible.
• 1974: During an exhibition at the National Museum in Tokyo, a wheelchair-bound woman, upset over the lack of accessibility for disabled people, sprayed red paint on the painting. The protective glass prevented any harm to the artwork.
• 2009: A Russian visitor, frustrated by her inability to obtain French citizenship, threw a tea cup at the painting. Again, the bulletproof glass shielded the Mona Lisa from damage.
• 2022: A man disguised as an elderly woman in a wheelchair threw a pie at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre to draw attention to climate change. The glass protection kept the painting safe.

In 1975, Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” was attacked by a man with mental health issues who slashed the painting multiple times with a knife at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The artwork suffered severe damage but was successfully restored.

Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” has been stolen on two occasions:

• 1994: Thieves broke into the National Gallery of Norway and took the painting, leaving a note saying “Thanks for the poor security.” It was recovered months later.
• 2004: Another version of the painting was stolen at gunpoint from the Munch Museum in Oslo. It was recovered in 2006, though it had sustained some damage.

In 1972, a man named Laszlo Toth attacked Michelangelo’s “Pietà” at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with a hammer, shouting “I am Christ resurrected!” The statue suffered significant damage to the Virgin Mary’s face but was meticulously restored.

Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain,” an inverted urinal that revolutionized the art world, has been vandalized several times. In 2006, an artist named Pierre Pinoncelli urinated on it during an exhibition, claiming it was a tribute to Duchamp’s Dada spirit. Pinoncelli had previously struck the urinal with a hammer in 1993.

In 2012, a man named Vladimir Umanets wrote “A Potential Piece of Yellowism” in the corner of Mark Rothko’s “Black on Maroon” mural at Tate Modern in London. Although the damage was significant, the painting was restored. Umanets claimed his act was part of an artistic movement and that the artwork was now even more valuable, but he was sentenced to prison.

In 1914, British suffragette Mary Richardson attacked Diego Velázquez’s “The Rokeby Venus” at the National Gallery in London with a knife. Her motive was to protest the arrest of suffragist leader Emmeline Pankhurst. The painting was restored, but the act left a historic mark.

In 2023, the artwork was vandalized again. Two young activists from the group Just Stop Oil broke into the National Gallery and smashed the glass protecting the famous painting with hammers. According to the group’s statement, the action aimed to protest the UK’s oil licensing and the complicity of cultural institutions with polluting companies.

In 1974, artist and activist Tony Shafrazi sprayed the phrase “KILL LIES ALL” on Picasso’s “Guernica” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Shafrazi intended to protest against the Vietnam War. Thankfully, the painting was restored without permanent damage.

In 2013, a man wrote “AE911” on Eugène Delacroix’s famous painting “Liberty Leading the People” at Louvre-Lens in France. The act was a protest aimed at drawing attention to the September 11 attacks. Fortunately, the damage was minor, and the painting was quickly restored.

Who would have thought a can of soup could make such a splash? In October 2022, activists from the group “Just Stop Oil” decided that throwing tomato soup on Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at the National Gallery in London was the best way to protest against fossil fuels. The painting was protected by glass and emerged unscathed from this peculiar attack, and the activist group gained global attention.

In 1996, art student Jubal Brown vandalized two paintings in art galleries by vomiting on them. The first incident took place at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, where he vomited red liquid on Raoul Dufy’s “Harbor at Le Havre.” The second attack occurred on November 2 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where he vomited blue on Piet Mondrian’s “Composition with Red and Blue.”

Neither painting was damaged, and both were successfully cleaned. The galleries initially thought the incidents were accidental, but Brown later admitted his actions were deliberate. He claimed they were part of a “performance art trilogy” called “Responding to Art,” targeting works he found “oppressively trite and painfully banal.” He said “Harbor at Le Havre” “was just so boring it needed some color,” and he found “Composition with Red and Blue” to have a “threatening lack of life.” Brown intended to vandalize three paintings, each featuring one of the three primary colors: blue, red, and yellow, but as far as we know, he never completed the trilogy with yellow.

Nothing less than an attack on Michelangelo’s iconic David! In 1991, a man with a hammer decided the Renaissance giant needed a “slight” modification. He managed to break one of David’s left foot toes before being stopped by museum security. The man, a 47-year-old Italian, claimed he was following orders from a 16th-century Italian diva. Restorers worked hard to restore the sculpture to its former glory.

If at first you don’t succeed in vandalizing a masterpiece, it seems some people decide not to give up. That was the case in 1985 when a man attacked Rembrandt’s “Danaë” (1636) at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The attack began when the vandal used a knife to slash a section of Danaë’s stomach. But he didn’t stop there; he then threw a foul-smelling liquid on the painting, which some suspected was sulfuric acid. The substance ate away at Rembrandt’s work, leaving many wondering if the painting could ever be restored.

Miraculously, after a painstaking 12-year restoration process, the painting was fully restored and put back on display.

Art not only beautifies our spaces and enriches our lives but also serves as a powerful medium for conveying deep messages. Sometimes, acts of vandalism against these masterpieces are simply the work of disturbed minds. But other times, they’re more than just destruction; they’re attempts to draw attention to much larger and urgent issues.

These acts, while often controversial and frequently condemned, usually aim to highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. From protests against social injustices to calls for action on environmental crises, art vandalism can sometimes become a form of dialogue where the visual impact of the artwork amplifies the message of its perpetrators.

It’s important to remember that behind these acts are voices trying to be heard. While vandalism itself is an action that needs to be examined and understood carefully, it also gives us the opportunity to reflect on the issues it aims to highlight. At the end of the day, art remains a crucial tool for expression and communication, even when it finds itself at the center of controversy.