According to French newspaper Le Figaro's report on September 19th, there was an amusing incident at the Louvre Museum in Paris that day: two German men entered the exhibition hall where the Mona Lisa was displayed and used tape to stick their two paintings directly onto the wall, claiming they just wanted to 'have some fun'. The two men were quickly taken away by security personnel and handed over to the police.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. local time on the 19th. At that time, the Louvre was open, and a large number of tourists were visiting the exhibition hall where Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Mona Lisa, was displayed. Suddenly, two men took out two paintings, each measuring about 30 cm × 40 cm, and used tape to attach them to the walls of the exhibition hall.
In one of the paintings, there is a figure wearing armor, while in another painting, there are two men and one woman. The security personnel at the Louvre immediately stopped the two individuals and reported them to the authorities.
According to police sources, both individuals are German citizens. During their interrogation by the police, they explained that they hung the paintings in the “Mona Lisa” exhibition hall simply for “fun”. The staff at the Louvre then removed the two paintings and found that the adhesive tape had caused slight damage to the wall, but the “Mona Lisa” itself was not affected. The two individuals will be summoned again after formally filing a complaint with the Louvre.
This seemingly absurd prank has once again drawn attention to the security issues at the Louvre. In October 2025, thieves used a lift to enter the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre and stole eight pieces of French royal jewelry in just a few minutes. The stolen items were valued at approximately 88 million euros. Although four suspects were later arrested, the stolen jewels have still not been recovered. The incident also exposed a series of security vulnerabilities, including the aging surveillance system at the Louvre.
In addition, the Louvre has been facing problems such as water leaks for nearly a year. Hundreds of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the library and a 19th-century painted ceiling have been damaged. This world-class museum, which expects to attract about 9 million visitors in 2025, is currently undergoing major renovations, including the construction of a separate exhibition hall for the Mona Lisa.
