Van Gogh’s masterpiece poured with soup by activists. The recording was seen by millions
A pair of activists attacked van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” by pouring canned soup over the painting. Then, members of the Just Stop Oil group stuck themselves to the wall and gave a short speech justifying their radical action.
On Friday, October 14, visitors to the National Gallery in London could witness a shocking scene. Two young women crossed the line separating guests from the paintings and poured soup on one of the most famous works in the history of art. If it weren’t for the glass protective surface, we would be talking about a loss of tens of millions of dollars.
Just Stop Oil attacks van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”.
Then, Just Stop Oil representatives greased their hands with strong glue and stuck them to the museum wall. One of them presented the reasons why they decided to protest. A third person, probably associated with the activists, recorded the entire event and sent the video to the media.
– What is worth more than life? – asked the activist with pink hair. – Is it worth more than food, more than justice? Are you more concerned about protecting the painting than protecting our planet and people? – she continued.
– The cost of living crisis is part of the oil crisis, fuel is too expensive for millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a can of soup, said the young girl. Then, the National Gallery employees decided to clear the hall of onlookers and called the services, which continued to deal with the protesters.
Just Stop Oil ups the ante
Over the past two weeks, the group Just Stop Oil has held several road blocking protests in central London. As the Guardian writes, so far activists have been able to enrage drivers and passengers of public transport. However, Friday’s attack was a clear escalation of their actions. The portal emphasizes that witnesses present at the museum had mixed feelings. They emphasized that people who admire art are rather aware of the climate crisis, and similar attacks on works of art can only alienate people from their cause.