Two Belgian influencers have successfully managed to hang their own artwork inside the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, posting a video of their daring stunt on social media over the weekend. The influencers, known as Neal and Senne, documented their elaborate plan on Instagram, showing how they managed to display their painting in the same room as the iconic Mona Lisa. The story was first reported by the Parisian daily newspaper Le Parisien.
The timing of their stunt made it particularly challenging, as the Louvre had recently implemented significantly enhanced security measures following a multi-million dollar theft that occurred on October 19, 2025. The Belgian duo was well aware of these heightened security protocols. "The security checks are ten times stricter than usual. That's 100 percent due to the break-in," one of them explained in their video, acknowledging the increased difficulty of their mission.
To execute their plan, Neal and Senne had constructed a picture frame that they intended to assemble inside the museum itself. "The frame has to be brought in as separate pieces because large objects are stopped by the security scanner," they explained their strategy in the video. They smuggled their painted portrait of themselves into the world-renowned art museum by rolling it up and carrying it past security checkpoints.
After successfully passing through the security controls, the pair made their way to the room housing the Mona Lisa, where they originally planned to hang their artwork directly next to Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. However, upon arrival, they discovered the area was heavily populated with security guards. Throughout their video, the influencers can be seen repeatedly alerting each other to the presence of security personnel in the vicinity.
The Belgian duo faced additional unexpected challenges that they hadn't anticipated in their planning. They entered the museum at 5:04 PM, just one hour before closing time. What they didn't realize was that all visitors are required to leave the Louvre within the final thirty minutes before official closing time, putting them under severe time pressure to complete their mission.
In a last-minute decision, they hung their painting next to the "Portrait of Flora" by Italian artist Paris Bordone, as shown in their video footage. Importantly, this artwork is displayed in the same hall as the Mona Lisa, making their stunt technically successful in achieving their goal of displaying their work alongside world-famous masterpieces. "We knew it was risky. As soon as the artwork was hung, we left immediately. We didn't want to provoke the security forces or wait for their reaction," Le Parisien quoted the influencers as saying.
According to Le Parisien's reporting, Neal and Senne had previously executed a similar stunt at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium, suggesting this wasn't their first attempt at unauthorized art installation. The exact date of their Louvre operation remains unclear, though based on the early closing time mentioned, it could only have occurred on a Monday, Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday when the museum closes earlier.
Several questions remain unanswered about the incident. It's unclear how long the Belgian influencers' painting remained hanging in Room 711 of the Louvre before being discovered and removed by museum staff. Additionally, whether the stunt has resulted in any legal consequences or charges against Neal and Senne has not been disclosed. The Louvre has not yet issued an official statement regarding the security breach or any potential changes to their protocols in response to this incident.
