Earlier today, two environmental protestors threw soup at Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ painting on display at the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square.
The two activists, belonging to environmentalist activist group, ‘Just Stop Oil’, were filmed in the act.
🥫 JUST STOP OIL SUPPORTERS 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.#VanGogh #FreeLouis #FreeJosh #CivilResistance pic.twitter.com/gXXGLsi0ej
— Just Stop Oil ⚖️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) October 14, 2022
In the video, someone can be heard shouting “oh my god” as the soup strikes the canvas. Another onlooker shouts “security?” as soup drips from the $84.2 million (R1 529 636 982,00) painting.
Promptly after throwing two cans of Heinz Tomato Soup at van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” the activists explain their actions:
“What is worth more, art of life? Is it worth more than food, more than justice? Are you concerned about the protection of a painting, or the protection of our planet and people?”
The activists blame the current cost of living crisis on the oil and gas industries.
“The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of the oil crisis. Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup”
The environmental activist group took to Twitter shortly after:
🌻🥫 BREAKING: SOUP THROWN ON VAN GOGH’S ‘SUNFLOWERS’ 🥫🌻
🖼 Is art worth more than life? More than food? More than justice?
🛢 The cost of living crisis and climate crisis is driven by oil and gas.#FreeLouis #FreeJosh #CivilResistance #A22Network #JustStopOil #NoNewOil pic.twitter.com/18T2zSP2ws
— Just Stop Oil ⚖️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) October 14, 2022
Activists with @JustStop_Oil have thrown tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the national Gallery and glued themselves to the wall. pic.twitter.com/M8YP1LPTOU
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) October 14, 2022
Probably the only straightforward thing about Van Gogh was what he thought painting was for (“to teach us to see”). So this is entirely appropriate, I think. Shameful that kids are pushed to this. https://t.co/Kz9d33m7Rl
— Frankie Boyle (@frankieboyle) October 14, 2022
Officers arrested protestors for criminal damage and aggravated trespassing after they “throwing a substance at a painting” at the National Gallery in London.
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Feature Image: Twitter / @juststop_oil