Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting covered in soup by activists

LONDON, UK — Editor’s notice: The above video is from an identical climate-related protest in May 2022 when activists smeared ice cream over Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Climate protesters threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in London’s National Gallery on Friday to protest fossil gasoline extraction, however induced no discernible injury to the glass-covered painting.

The group Just Stop Oil, which desires the British authorities to halt new oil and gasoline initiatives, mentioned activists dumped two cans of tomato soup over the oil painting, one of many Dutch artist’s most iconic works. The two protesters additionally glued themselves to the gallery wall.

The soup splashed throughout the glass masking the painting and its gilded body. The gallery mentioned “there is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed.” The work is certainly one of a number of variations of “Sunflowers” that Van Gogh painted in the late Eighties.

London’s Metropolitan Police mentioned officers arrested two folks on suspicion of prison injury and aggravated trespass.

“Specialist officers have now un-glued them and they have been taken into custody to a central London police station,” the pressure mentioned in an announcement.

Just Stop Oil has drawn consideration, and criticism, for concentrating on artworks in museums. In July, Just Stop Oil activists glued themselves to the body of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, and to John Constable’s “The Hay Wain” in the National Gallery.

Activists have additionally blocked bridges and intersections throughout London throughout two weeks of protests.

The wave of demonstrations comes because the British authorities opens a brand new licensing spherical for North Sea oil and gasoline exploration, regardless of criticism from environmentalists and scientists who say the transfer undermines the nation’s dedication to preventing local weather change.