London: Environmental activists threw tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s over $80 million worth ‘Sunflowers’ painting at the London’s National Gallery, in their latest “direct-action” stunt targeting works of art.
The gallery said on Friday the protesters caused “minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed”. The National Gallery on its website says the signed painting from 1888 was acquired by the gallery in 1924.
Just Stop Oil aims to end UK government involvement in oil and gas and has mounted a series of high-profile protests.
London’s Metropolitan Police said its officers arrested two protesters from the group for criminal damage and aggravated trespass.
The two after they “threw a substance over a painting” at the gallery on Trafalgar Square, glued themselves to a wall just after 11 am, social media videos showing the footage have gone viral.
Police said they had unglued the protesters and taken them to a central London police station.
The National Gallery said the two protesters “appeared to glue themselves to the wall adjacent to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers” and threw a “red substance” at the painting. The room was cleared of visitors and police called, it added.
After glueing themselves to the wall, one of the activists shouted: “What is worth more, art or life?” The activist group said the painting has an estimated value of $84.2 million.
“Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” she asks.
In the video, someone can be heard yelling “oh my God” as the soup hits the canvas, and another person shouts “Security?” while soup drips from the frame onto the floor.
Just Stop Oil said in a statement its activists threw two cans of Heinz Tomato soup over the painting to demand the UK government halt all new oil and gas projects.
It later tweeted that the protest’s message was “Choose life over art”.
“Human creativity and brilliance is on show in this gallery, yet our heritage is being destroyed by our Government’s failure to act on the climate and cost of living crisis,” the group said.
The gallery called the works “among Van Gogh’s most iconic and best-loved works”.
