Famous painting by Delacroix defaced by “unstable” woman in France
“Liberty Leading the People,” an 1830 painting by French artist Eugene Delacroix, was recently defaced by an “unstable” woman in the French city of Lens.
It's a French cultural travesty: the 1830 painting "Liberty Leading the People," which reportedly inspired New York City's French-made Statue of Liberty, was defaced on Thursday by an "unstable" 28-year-old woman.
The graffiti attack appeared to be a reference to a 9/11 conspiracy theory, according to the BBC. The woman responsible was swiftly apprehended, and remains in custody.
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The Associated Press notes, reassuringly, that painting can likely be easily cleaned.
The huge painting remembers France's July Revolution of 1830 which lead to the fall of Charles X, and was painted by French artist Eugene Delacroix.
Mt Holyoke notes that the artist painted himself into the right of the painting, as he was a member of the French National Guard — wearing a top hat.
It's thought that the painting might have inspired the iconic Statue of Liberty, which was donated to the then-young US by France, and dedicated in 1886.
It was part of a new Louvre gallery in the French city of Lens, which opened in December, and the painting was intended to stay at the new gallery for a year.
The gallery remained closed Friday after the graffiti attack.
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