Attempts to vandalize art happen from time-to-time. Earlier this year a painting was defaced by a museum guard in the Yeltsin center in Russia.
There have been other attempts to vandalize or steal the portrait. A museum employee stole the Mona Lisa in 1911. It was found and returned to the Louvre.
In the 1950’s there was an acid attack on the bottom of the canvas. The painting was restored, and security measures were beefed up.
In 2009, an angry woman threw a ceramic cup at the painting. The cup broke but the painting was completely unharmed.
Fortunately, the Mona Lisa survived this latest attack, as well. And tourists can see her smiling in the Louvre.
