6 Times Vandals Attacked Some of the World’s Most Valuable Art

For thousands of years, works of art have captured human creativity through paintings, sculptures, and other masterpieces that continue to inspire people around the world. But these priceless creations have not always been safe. Throughout history, some activists and vandals have deliberately targeted famous works of art in an attempt to draw attention to political causes, social movements, or global issues.

In some cases, these shocking incidents sparked international headlines and debates about the protection of cultural treasures. Here, History Computer takes a closer look at the moments when priceless art was deliberately damaged and the stories behind these controversial acts.

A crowd gathers to look at Pablo Picasso's work.

• Type of art: Painting
• Created by: Pablo Picasso
• Finished: 1937
• Estimated Worth: $200 million
• Current location: Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid

Considered to be the most powerful anti-war painting in history, Guernica is a modern masterpiece. Standing 11 feet tall and 25 feet across, Guernica was Picasso's response to Germany's bombing of the Basque town of Guernica in 1937. In 1974, Tony Shafrazi defaced Guernica with spray paint while the painting was on loan to New York's Museum of Modern Art; the words "Kill Lies All" was scrawled across the painting. Shafrazi's actions were in response to the release of U.S. army officer Lt. William Calley from house arrest for the 1968 My Lai massacre.

The Portland Vase depicts multiple scenes.

• Type of art: Vase
• Created by: Unknown
• Finished: 5-25 AD
• Estimated Worth: Priceless
• Current location: British Museum, London

The Portland Vase was discovered in a burial chamber in 1582 near Rome. The best-known work of Roman cameo glass, the 10-inch-high vase includes two distinct scenes. Sadly, in 1845, drunken visitor William Lloyd shattered the vase into 37 pieces. John Doubleday restored the vase first in 1845–1846. It was again restored in 1949 and 1989 and is currently on display at the British Museum.

The Virgin and Child with St. Anne And St. John The Baptist on display in 1962.

• Type of art: Charcoal/chalk cartoon
• Created by: Leonardo da Vinci
• Finished: 1499–1500
• Estimated Worth: $35 million
• Current location: National Gallery, London

The painting is currently restored and on display at the National Gallery in London.

In 1987, mentally ill Robert Cambridge attacked The Virgin and Child with a sawn-off shotgun. Wanting to bring attention to "political, social, and economic conditions in Britain," Cambridge destroyed the painting's glass covering and caused significant damage to the artwork. Remarkably, it only took restorers a handful of months to repair the painting after collecting the tiny fragments of blasted paper and gluing them back together.

The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings ever.

• Type of art: Painting
• Created by: Leonardo da Vinci
• Finished: 1503–1506 (though Leonardo tinkered with it for years)
• Estimated Worth: $1 billion
• Current location: Louvre Museum

The Mona Lisa is on display at the Louvre.

One of the world's best-known paintings, The Mona Lisa, has been attacked several times over the last 110 years. In 1974, while the painting was on tour at Tokyo's National Museum, a disabled Japanese woman named Tomoko Yonezu protested lack of access for disabled people by targeted the painting. Thankfully, her attack only damaged the protective glass and not the painting itself.

The Night Watch is one of Rembrandt's most famous pieces.

• Type of art: Painting
• Created by: Rembrandt van Rijn
• Finished: 1642
• Estimated Worth: $500 million
• Current location: the Rijksmuseum

The Night Watch is carefully restored behind a protective wall.

Due to its high profile, The Night Watch has been attacked four times since 1911. However, the September 11, 1975 attack caused the most damage, resulting in 12 slashes up to 60 cm long. Wilhelmus de Rijk, an unemployed schoolteacher, damaged the painting by claiming he "did it for the Lord." Restoration took about eight months; it was back on view in 1976.

The Pieta is one of Michelangelo's most famous pieces.

• Type of art: Statue
• Created by: Michelangelo di Ldovico Buonarroti Simoni
• Finished: 1498 – 1499
• Estimated Worth: Priceless
• Current location: St. Peter's Basilica

The 1972 attack caused notable damage to the Pieta statue.

In 1972, a mentally disturbed geologist known as Laszlo Toth attacked Pieta with a geologist's hammer. Shouting, "I am Jesus Christ; I have risen from the dead," he struck the statute, which depicts Mary holding Christ's body after the Crucifixion. Toth managed 15 blows before being stopped. It took ten painstaking months to repair the damage to Mary's arm, nose, and eyelid. Pieta is now protected behind bullet proof glass.