Could Jeff Bezos Buy The Mona Lisa And Eat It? Yes—And No

Days after Jeff Bezos announced he would travel into space, a change.org petition is calling on one of the world’s richest people to do something that would change the course of culture and civilization forever: buy and eat the Mona Lisa. 

The petition, which has over 5,000 signatures, doesn’t offer much in terms of specifics, saying only: “Nobody has eaten the mona lisa and we feel jeff bezos needs to take a stand and make this happen.” A change.org user named Kane Powell created the petition about a year ago, but it began gaining traction within the last couple days.

Though it’s unclear why Bezos would want to purchase and then consume the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, he almost certainly could afford to do it. Last year a French entrepreneur suggested the painting was worth 50 billion Euros (some $60 billion U.S. dollars)—an estimate that one art industry source said was far too high. Either way, the Mona Lisa is well within the Amazon chief’s reach, since he sits atop a fortune currently worth $194.5 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates. 

This fact is undoubtedly what inspired one commenter to write on the petition, “I feel Jeff is just the guy to help humanity take this leap.” Others also took to the comment section to voice their support, writing, “This is the most important petition in modern times,” and “Eat that Mona Jeff.” 

One roadblock: the painting is almost certainly not for sale at any price. Owned by the French government, the Mona Lisa is the most famous work of art in the world and the crown jewel of France’s Louvre Museum, the largest in the world. France is unlikely to ever want to part with such an important national symbol—especially since proceeds from selling the painting would be a drop in the bucket for a government that brings in more than 1 trillion Euros in tax revenue every year. 

Change.org, a public benefit corporation founded in 2007 by Ben Rattray, bills itself as “the world’s platform for change.” Over the years, it has been the driving force behind widespread demands for social justice as well as confusing and nonsensical demands, such as last year’s viral petition to send Glee star Matthew Morrison to Guantanamo Bay. 

Bezos, who controls Whole Foods Market through Amazon, has not publicly responded about potential plans to ingest any centuries old oil paintings.

Kane Powell, the petition creator, could not be reached for comment on why he thinks the Mona Lisa should be consumed—or why he targeted Bezos for the deed rather than LVMH billionaire Bernard Arnault, who is both richer than Bezos (currently worth $197.7 billion) and a French citizen.