Art has the power to inspire people and evoke complex emotions. Some artworks appear to be more powerful than others, often becoming the center of attention of both well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning spectators. Today, we will talk about three of history’s greatest sculptures that became targets of vandalism.

Three of History’s Greatest Sculptures That Were Vandalized

Madonna della Pietà, Michelangelo

May 21, 1972, went down in history as the date of one of the most bizarre attacks on cultural and artistic heritage. In Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Basilica, a Hungarian man smashed Michelangelo’s famous masterpiece Madonna della Pietà (featured image), depicting the Virgin Mary with dead Jesus in her arms, with a hammer. The man struck Madonna’s elbow, her eyelid, and her nose, all while screaming, “I am Jesus Christ – risen from the dead.”

David, Michelangelo

Another piece by the world-renowned artist and sculptor Michelangelo was damaged in an incident that can only be described as strange. In 1991, an Italian man brought a hammer to the Galleria dell’Accademia Museum in Florence and used it to smash the top of one of David’s toes. While being questioned, he claimed that “Veronese’s beautiful Nani,” referring to the model of the 16th-century Italian painter Veronese, “told” him to hit David. Interestingly enough, the incident led to the discovery of the material used by Michelangelo in his art: scientists analyzed the pieces of the broken toe and concluded that the sculpture was made from calcite.

The Thinker, Auguste Rodin

The case of Rodin’s The Thinker has a political undertone. One of the casts of the famous statue was held by the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, OH. The year 1970 was when the US was right in the middle of the Vietnam War. The political tension within the country and the increasing dissatisfaction with the status quo led to multiple instances of domestic terrorism. By 1976, Cleveland would be infamously known as Bomb City because, in 1970, a bomb went off in the Cleveland Museum of Art right next to The Thinker, destroying its base and feet and damaging the pillars and doors of the Museum.

What is it that motivates people to ruin some of the greatest sculptures in the world? One could only guess what was going on in the minds of those committing the acts of vandalism, but it was likely related to the cultural significance of those masterpieces.