New attack against a work of art. This time it has been two environmental protesters who have thrown two cans of tomato soup against the work The sunflowers, by Vincent van Gogh, at the National Gallery in London. Luckily, it seems that the work has not been damaged as it is protected by glass. The action has been perpetrated by two young people from the organization Just Stop Oil. The moment of the attack could be seen in a video on Twitter broadcast by Guardian, in which they boast of wrongdoing against one of the five versions of this 1888 masterpiece by the Dutch artist. This conservationist association is against the British government granting new licenses for oil and gas platforms, and had already staged several protests in London in the last two weeks. In June, members of this group glued themselves to the walls next to some works of art in different museums, including the National Gallery itself.
“Guards rushed to the scene after two Just Stop Oil protesters threw a substance on the painting,” police said in a tweet. Both young women have been arrested “for criminal damage and trespassing.” Shortly after, the National Gallery has published a tweet in which it indicates that after eleven in the morning (English time), two people entered room 43 of the museum and threw “a red substance, apparently tomato soup” against the oil. . The brief statement indicates that the work has suffered “some minor damage but is unharmed.” The painting has dimensions of 92 by 73 centimeters.
Van Gogh painted this series of sunflowers to decorate his house in Arles when he was going to receive his friend the artist Paul Gauguin. This flower had several special meanings for him, the National Gallery points out in the file on this work. No other artist is known who has had such a marked link with a specific species of flower. “The different stages of the life cycle of the sunflower follow the tradition of the vanity, that emphasize the transient nature of human actions. Sunflowers were perhaps also intended to be a symbol of friendship and a celebration of the beauty and vitality of nature.
This attack comes just a week after a visitor toppled two Roman-era busts on display in the Vatican Museums. The individual, who was arrested by the center’s staff, caused, according to the institution, “moderate damage” to the two works of art. The museum claimed the man had “behaved strangely” during his visit.
Also one of the most famous works in the history of art, Mona Lisa, suffered in the Louvre, at the end of May, the attack of a visitor who threw a cake at him. The work was not damaged, since the pastel collided with the glass that protects the oil.
Last Sunday, the London police reported that more than 100 people were arrested over the weekend for protests by environmental groups.
Information of: The country
