Mona Lisa

Probably one of the best know pre-internet memes, this portrait by Leonardo da Vinci has been called "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world."

When the world was celebrating the 400th anniversary of Leonardo's death, artist Marcel Duchamp takes a postcard of the Mona Lisa from an antique stand on the Rue Rivoli and adds to it a mustache and beard. This gesture changed the history of modern art. (see http://www.artscienceresearchlab.org/articles/panorama.htm for full story).

As one of the most recognized faces globally, the Mona Lisa is easy to parody. The original riff by Duchamp was seen as a defacement and an insult to the art world.

The site called "The Best Mona Lisa Parodies" (http://www.chilloutpoint.com/art_and_design/the-best-mona-lisa-parodies.html) states: "Probably the most popular painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is so popular as much because of its art quality as because of its inspiration potential."

The Mega Mona Lisa site (megamonalisa.com) claims to be the biggest on-line Mona Lisa Gallery boasting 5271 Mona Lisa pictures. Many are explicit and humorous images the site is for people over 18.