Two activists throw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in London

Two activists from the organization Just Stop Oil threw soup on the famous painting “The Sunflowers” by Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery in London on Friday and were later arrested by the police, Scotland Yard reported.

In a tweet, the police reported that the two activists had thrown a substance on the Dutch painter’s painting and “then stuck to a wall. Both have been arrested for criminal damage and aggravated trespassing.”

The protesters, dressed in T-shirts bearing the name of that organization, threw two cans of tomato soup from the well-known Heinz brand on the work painted in 1888, before kneeling in front of the painting and pressing their hands to the wall below it.

The tomato soup was thrown against the painting, which is covered by glass, and also stained some areas of the painting’s gilt frame.

After the incident, the museum room was closed for security reasons and the visitors evicted

One of the activists, identified as 21-year-old Londoner Phoebe Plummer, shouted at the famous painting: What is worth more, art or life? Is it worth more than food? Is it worth more than justice?

“What concerns us more, the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people? The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of the oil crisis”he underlined.

The Metropolitan Police explained that “the agents quickly arrived at the scene at the National Gallery” and later arrested the two activists, accused of malicious damage and aggravated trespass.

The version of “The Sunflowers” exhibited at the National Gallery in London, one of the five he made Van Goghwas painted in Arles, in the south of France, in August 1888. The work shows fifteen sunflowers standing in a yellow pot on a yellow background.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.