Oil protesters throw soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting

Apparently tomato soup cans have been hurled over a Van Gogh painting of sunflowers at the National Gallery in London by environmental protestors. Two persons were captured on camera opening tins, throwing the contents onto the artwork, and then sticking their hands to the wall while wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts.
 
Two people, according to the Metropolitan Police, have been detained. The picture was declared to be undamaged by the gallery because it was protected by glass. According to a statement from the Trafalgar Square location: “This morning at little after 11 a.m., two individuals entered Room 43 of the National Gallery.

“The two appeared to have applied wall glue to the area next to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888). Additionally, they daubed the artwork with a red material that appeared to be tomato soup.

“The room was cleared of visitors and police were called. Officers are now on the scene.

“There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed.

“Two people have been arrested.”

Officers were on the scene at the National Gallery this morning after two Just Stop Oil protestors threw something over a picture and then fastened themselves to a wall, according to the Metropolitan Police.

“Both have been detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal mischief. Currently, officers are de-bonding them.

Videos of the event on Friday captured a protester yelling, “What is worth more? Or life, is it? Is it more valuable than food? More valuable than the law? Are the protection of our planet and its inhabitants more important to you than the preservation of a painting?

Additionally, she made mention of the rising cost of living and the “millions of hungry, chilly families” who “can’t even afford to heat a can of soup.”

Van Gogh painted seven sunflower-themed pieces between 1888 and 1889, five of which are currently on exhibit in galleries and museums around the globe. They were made by the artist to adorn his home in Arles, France, before his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin paid him a visit.

The sunflower paintings are “among Van Gogh’s most recognisable and best-loved masterpieces,” according to the exhibition.

Three months prior, individuals from the same group covered John Constable’s The Hay Wain in the same gallery with paper using tape.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright