Climate activists throw soup over Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ in London’s National Gallery
- The gallery said the protesters caused ‘minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed’, and police said two protesters had been arrested
- British environmentalist group Just Stop Oil aims to end UK government involvement in oil and gas and has mounted a series of high-profile protests
Environmental protesters on Friday threw tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting at the London’s National Gallery, in the latest “direct-action” stunt targeting works of art.
The gallery said the protesters caused “minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed”.
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 after they “threw a substance over a painting” at the gallery on Trafalgar Square and glued themselves to a wall just after 11am BST.
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 near Van Gogh’s Sunflowers” and threw a “red substance” at the painting. The room was cleared of visitors and police called, it added.