Laszlo Toth
Laszlo Toth in 1972
Born(1938-07-01)1 July 1938[1][2]
Pilisvörösvár,[1] Kingdom of Hungary
Known forVandalising Michelangelo's Pietà statue

Laszlo Toth (Hungarian: Tóth László; born 1 July 1938) is a Hungarian-born Australian geologist. He achieved worldwide notoriety when he vandalised Michelangelo's Pietà statue on 21 May 1972. He was not charged with a criminal offence after the incident, but was hospitalized in Italy for two years. On his release, he was immediately deported to Australia.

Early life

Toth was born in Pilisvörösvár, Hungary to a Roman Catholic family. After graduating with a degree in geology, he moved to Australia in 1965. As his English was poor and his geology diploma was not recognised, he initially worked at a soap factory. In June 1971, he moved to Rome, Italy, knowing no Italian, intending to become recognised as Christ. He sent letters to Pope Paul VI and unsuccessfully attempted to meet him.[1]

Vandalism of Pietà

On 21 May 1972, at 33 years of age (Jesus's traditional age at death) on the Feast of Pentecost, Toth, wielding a geologist's hammer and shouting, "I am Jesus Christ—risen from the dead",[1][3][4] attacked Michelangelo's Pietà statue in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. With fifteen blows, he removed Mary's arm at the elbow, knocked off a chunk of her nose, and chipped one of her eyelids.[4] He was subdued by bystanders, including American sculptor Bob Cassilly, who struck Toth several times before pulling him away from the Pietà.[5] Following his arrest, Toth repeated his claim that he was Christ and said that God had compelled him to destroy the statue because Christ, being eternal, could not have a mother.[6] In view of his apparent mental instability, Toth was never charged with the crime. On 29 January 1973, he was committed to an Italian psychiatric hospital. He was released on 9 February 1975 and immediately deported back to Australia where authorities did not detain him.[3]

Literature and popular culture

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gamboni, Dario (1997). The destruction of art: iconoclasm and vandalism since the French Revolution. Reaktion Books. pp. 202–203. ISBN 978-0-948462-94-8.
  2. ^ A martellate un pazzo in S. Pietro sfregia la Pietà di Michelangelo, La Stampa, 22 May 1972, p. 1.
  3. ^ a b "Notes and Queries: Whatever happened to Laszlo Toth, the man who smashed Michelangelo's Pieta in 1972?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 June 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Chapel of the Pieta by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1499". saintpetersbasilica.org. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  5. ^ Schlafly, Tom (29 September 2011). "Remembering Bob Cassilly". St. Louis Public Radio. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  6. ^ Gamboni, Dario (1997). The Destruction of Art: Iconoclasm and Vandalism Since the French Revolution. Reaktion Books. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-948462-94-8.
  7. ^ "The Laszlo Letters (Don Novello interviewed by Bob Garfield)". On the Media. WNYC Radio. 2003. Retrieved 8 June 2006.
  8. ^ Lazlo's Hammer. Ditko-fever.com. Retrieved on 17 April 2014.
  9. ^ Hughes, William (12 October 2022). "A fun, fast-moving Archer finale promises the show's latest fresh start—since the last one". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
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