this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
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Visitors at Louvre look on in shock as Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece attacked by environmental protesters

Two environmental protesters have hurled soup on to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, calling for “healthy and sustainable food”. The painting, which was behind bulletproof glass, appeared to be undamaged.

Gallery visitors looked on in shock as two women threw the yellow-coloured soup before climbing under the barrier in front of the work and flanking the splattered painting, their right hands held up in a salute-like gesture.

One of the two activists removed her jacket to reveal a white T-shirt bearing the slogan of the environmental activist group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response) in black letters.

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[–] [email protected] 85 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (53 children)

I really hate the destruction or attempted destruction of art in order to bring awareness to a social cause. I get in this case the painting is highly protected, ~~but there have been plenty of other instances where this has happened to other art where that wasn't the case~~.

Not only are you a self-entitled piece of shit for tying to destroy something that is on display for public enjoyment, but you are virtually guaranteeing that anybody who didn't already agree with you won't take you seriously because you are acting like such a piece of shit.

Seriously, there are a lot of legitimate reasons for civil disobedience and public protest. This is not the way to go about that, and if you think it is then fuck you in particular.

Edit: I didn't think this was going to be such a divisive issue. After some further research I am retracting my earlier statement about other art being damaged in these protests because I don't see much evidence for that after all. It seems like these protestors are often targeting art they know will get maximum media exposure without causing lasting damage.

HOWEVER, I still think this type of action is counterproductive when you are trying to, hopefully, win over people that either do not support or are not aware of your message. Collective action is an effective means to make change in society. I am, again, not disputing that. I just think that if the goal is to gain broad support for your cause you need to choose targets that are more representative of that cause; rather than art, which does get media exposure, but which ultimately serves to obfuscate or overshadow the true purpose behind your protest. Being savvy about your target audience goes further and deeper into the social zeitgeist than simply getting headlines for being angsty.

[–] [email protected] 68 points 9 months ago (13 children)

There hasn't really been many instance of art getting destroyed. This is legitimate imo, it gets in the news and no real damage is done. Personally, I think it's not far enough.

If oil companies get their way, whole countries are going to be destroyed, not just paintings.

It's also plain to see that any form of protest against oil companies is quickly villainized by the media. There's an agenda at play when you can't march, stand in traffic or just throw soup at glass.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 9 months ago (3 children)

This is not the way to go about that

What is your way to go about that?

If you aren't doing anything, what way(s) would you deem acceptable? If you know acceptable ways, why aren't you following through? Honest if-questions, not meant as assumptions.

Healthy and sustainable food seems to be a decent goal. People should be able to get behind this. So if all the disagreement is about the right approach, where are the people with the right approach, and where are all the people voicing their concern about art supporting them?

Please help me out. It feels as if people are more concerned about pieces of art which they may never see, than about healthy food, the climate, or other major issues which affect everyone.

I get why it puts people off, these points exist. I just wonder what the "right" alternative to these "wrong" approaches is, and wether the critics walk the talk.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago

The Mona Lisa is behind bullet proof glass and everybody knows it. Relax.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 9 months ago (6 children)

The painting, which was behind bulletproof glass, appeared to be undamaged.

Wow, who would've guessed.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 9 months ago (3 children)

It's bulletproof not soupproof.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago

Fair enough.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I suspect the protesters knew about this.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 9 months ago

If it's anything like the other times, that's exactly why they targeted it instead of something unprotected. They aren't trying to destroy art, they're trying to make a statement.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Well, they never said it was soup proof glass.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Almost like the spectacle is the point, and now people are talking about it

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 9 months ago (7 children)

I love a good protest ... But this isn't a good protest.

What’s the most important thing?” they shouted. “Art, or right to a healthy and sustainable food?”

Yeah, no. I think in a civilised world we should be able to have both and that sort of argument is weak as fuck.

Destroy all art because it is more important that we conduct research into cot death. Oxygen is more important than art and yet look at you, with your galleries.

It's infantile posturing of probably well off middle class kids who want their Rosa Parks moment for Instagram clout.

Further to that, attempting to destroy something that essentially belongs to everyone is just going to bring negative press. How about going after something owned by the head of Nestle? No? Is that too difficult and requires too much work?

[–] [email protected] 37 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I mostly agree but I mean it's not like they were trying to destroy art or suggesting that all art should be destroyed. There's plenty of unprotected art in the Louvre. In the same room as the Mona Lisa There's a huge painting on the opposite wall that's arguably more interesting than whatever view of the Mona Lisa you can get from 6 ft back and they didn't go after it. They're trying to get attention, like most protests.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I get that. And I broadly supported the stop oil protests that took a similar form. But I do take objection to the weird value judgement they are making.

What's worth more, art or sustainable food...

If I wanted to get complex about it I'd highlight the numerous ways in which art and sustainable agriculture have traditionally interwoven through folk practices, but I'm going to keep it simple and say that the sort of false equivalence they just used is the rhetoric of fascism.

In the UK it is frequently used to defy art that may be oppositional to political and corporate interests.

And that's it, art is, more than anything, a vector for public discussion and protest in its own right.

Their protest and the reason behind it is fine. The daft shit they said during it undermines everything else and could do easily have been avoided with a small amount of thought.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 9 months ago (5 children)

I'm not usually inclined to conspiracy but I honestly think this group is planted by somebody to make environmental activists look bad.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

They aren't even protesting about (necessarily) environmentalism! It's crazy the number of people outraged that soup was thrown on glass that was in front of a painting and didn't even get to the part where it says this is about food security.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago (11 children)

That just shows why this isn’t an effective form of protest. I’ve seen a lot of comments about how “this gets attention” but fail to see how no one is actually talking about the “point” these protestors were trying to make. Which basically ruins anything the protestors are trying to do as no one focuses on the issues expressed.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago

Shows how effective it was. People don't even know what it is about

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 9 months ago (2 children)

lowhanging psyop spotted

my personal conspiracy theory is that these people are funded, if indirectly, by big oil. in the same way PETA smears the name of vegans, these mfs are designed to make you, the viewer, hate environmentalists.

the worst part? it works

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago (2 children)

In the Balkans, whenever people rise in peaceful protest against a corrupt goverment, that particular government sends 50 or so crack heads to join the protests and start demolishing stuff, so that an overwhelming police force can then disperse the legitimate protests. I've seen it play out times and times again.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's why trade unions in France maintain their own security forces, trained to spot troublemakers or hysterical militants and reign them in. Perhaps is this what makes for successful démonstrations.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (13 children)

That sure will encourage work on environmental issues. /s

[–] [email protected] 36 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (56 children)

It will make the climate crisis be covered in headlines and make it harder to ignore. This IS a legitimate form of protest. They didn't do any harm and brought attention to their cause.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They weren't doing it for the climate crisis.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Yeah the article is a bit strange. They call them environmental protesters but they seem to have been protesting food insecurity. Which I guess can be considered environmental but isn't usually what I think of.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago (19 children)

Name a better form of protest to get the people's attention.
Spoiler: They've tried that before.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 9 months ago (4 children)

It worked. Good for them, no damage was done and the news is talking about the issue

[–] [email protected] 21 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

It's a dumb action, and this is from someone that supports direct action. How people are talking about an action is critical: the context matters.

The first thing people are going to ask is "why did you do this?" and the answer needs to make sense. Throwing soup on an oil exec, painting their office, etc -- something sparks a conversation in a way you can exploit to further the cause.

"Vandalizing" a famous piece of art not even tangentially related to your cause is just going to make people think you're an asshole and shuts down that potential for a productive discussion.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 9 months ago (2 children)

THROW PIES AT THE RICH! Not art. The rich.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (3 children)

They are covered in glass. They do this to make a scene to bring light to their cause. The painting wasnt harmed. Meh. Either way I've kinda accepted that humanity is doomed. I've gone through the 5 stages. Too many are suck on denial.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

...why the need of throwing food at a piece of art...?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

or paint, that's been a thing.

really pisses me off, environmentalists attacking art, of all things. random art didn't cause environmental issues, and they're undermining their own message with the sheer absurdity of it.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

They attacked a pane of bulletproof glass; if destroying art was their objective they wouldn’t have had to walk far.

Are there any examples of these protests that have caused lasting damage? What I’ve seen was very visible but didn’t actually threaten anything.

It’s a weird message for sure but they don’t seem to malicious to me.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Anyone else think of the Mona Lisa case from Glass Onion?

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