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Back in 2022, a pair of activists from Just Stop Oil launched two tins of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh‘s ‘Sunflowers’ painting, which was on display at the National Gallery in London. Now, the activists have been found guilty of criminal damage.
After throwing the soup at the painting, the protestors poured super-glue on their hands and attached themselves to the wall beneath the painting. “What is worth more, art or life?” one of the activists asked, “Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” the added. The moment was captured on camera.
Though the frame of the painting sustained some minor damage, the piece was protected by glass and returned to display two days later. Now, the activists involved, namely Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, have been told to expect prison time when they are sentenced next month.
According to the BBC, Judge Christopher Hehir instructed the activists to be “prepared in practical and emotional terms to go to prison”. Until their sentencing, they cannot attend galleries or museums and cannot carry adhesives in public.
Katie McFadden, one of the activist’s solicitors, also provided a statement on the verdict, as well as the lack of governmental interest in combatting climate change. “They have proven that they have a great deal of interest in investing time and money into prosecuting young people trying to fight for the future of themselves and their children,” she commented.
“We are disappointed about the limitations imposed,” McFadden concluded, “which prevented Holland and Plummer from fully explaining their motivations while giving evidence.”
Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ isn’t the only painting that has been targeted by Just Stop Oil. Now long after the protest at the National Gallery, an activist attempted to attach himself to ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ by Johannes Vermeer, which was on display at the Mauritshuis museum.
More recently, protestors smashed the glass covering of ‘Rokeby Venus’, a painting by Diego Velazquez, at the National Gallery and targeted the Magna Carta at the British Library. The glass surrounding the Magna Carta was smashed before the activists glued themselves to it and held up a sign that stated, “The government is breaking the law.”
Plummer and Holland, the activists involved in the ‘Sunflowers’ protest, will be sentenced next month, on September 27th, 2024.
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