Louvre faces new security scandal as Belgian TikTokers secretly hang their own artwork in Mona Lisa gallery
Influencers smuggle in DIY Lego frame to evade checks, claim stunt was to “test security improvements”
The Louvre Museum in Paris is once again at the center of a security controversy—just a month after a major breach exposed vulnerabilities during the royal jewelry theft on October 19.
According to Le Figaro on November 15 (local time), two TikTok influencers from Belgium secretly installed their own artwork inside the gallery where Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is displayed, later posting the entire stunt on social media. Known for their reckless challenge videos, the duo claimed the prank was designed to “test whether the Louvre’s security had actually improved.”
In the video, the creators explain that they “built a frame out of Lego pieces that could be disassembled to pass through security checks” and rolled up the artwork to bring it inside undetected. They filmed the entire process—from entering the museum and passing through security to reaching the gallery.
Once inside, they quickly reassembled the Lego frame and attached a portrait they had painted of themselves to a wall, evading the attention of security guards. Although their original plan had been to hang the piece right next to the Mona Lisa, they abandoned the attempt due to an increased security presence and instead placed it several meters away before hastily leaving.
“We couldn’t put it directly beside the Mona Lisa, but just installing it in the same room was enough for us,” they said. “We knew it was risky and didn’t intend to provoke the guards.”
The TikTokers have a history of similar stunts. They previously stirred controversy after hanging their self-made artwork in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium. In May last year, they also hid for 27 hours inside a bathroom at Munich’s Allianz Arena to watch the UEFA Champions League final for free.