Vincent van Gogh's “Sunflowers” paintings were destroyed hours after activists were convicted over a similar incident

Two paintings by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh at London's National Gallery were vandalized on Friday when climate activists appeared to splash tomato soup on them. The incident came just hours after two activists from the environmental group Just Stop Oil were sentenced to at least 20 months in prison Similar act two almost two years ago.

The paintings from Van Gogh's “Sunflowers” series, which he painted in Arles, southern France, were not damaged on Friday thanks to protective glass covers. The gallery identified the two paintings as its own “Sunflowers,” 1888, and “Sunflowers,” 1889, on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The three activists – also from Just Stop Oil – involved in Friday's incident were arrested while the paintings were removed, examined and then returned to their location. The gallery said the exhibition would reopen later on Friday.

The group posted a video of the attack on social media, showing three people throwing soup at the paintings. The action apparently took place in protest against the conviction of two other activists from the group, Phoebe Plummer (23) and Anna Holland (22), on Friday.

Eco-activists sentenced to prison

Plummer received a two-year prison sentence, while Holland was jailed for 20 months on Friday.

In October 2022, the couple threw two cans of Heinz tomato soup over the artwork in London's National Gallery before kneeling in front of it. They then taped their hands to the wall beneath the painting.

According to Just Stop Oil, the two called on the British government to stop all new oil and gas projects.

In a post on X at the time, the activist group blamed the current economic turmoil Climate crisis In the face of fossil fuels, the world is asking itself the question: “Is art worth more than life?” More than food?”

The pair were found guilty by a jury in July of criminal damage.

Sentencing the two activists on Friday, Judge Christopher Hehir said the artwork could have been “seriously damaged or even destroyed”.

Hehir was also a judge in the case against Roger Hallam, co-founder of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, another environmental campaign group, and sentenced him to five years in prison.

On Friday, he took aim at Plummer.

“You clearly believe that your beliefs give you the right to commit crimes when you feel like it,” he said. “Not you.”

Plummer, who represented herself and pleaded guilty, said at the hearing that she would accept any verdict “with a smile.”

“Today is not just about myself or my co-defendants, but about the foundations of democracy itself,” she said.

Five days after her guilty verdict in July, Plummer was arrested for spraying paint on departure boards at Heathrow Airport.

Lawyer Raj Chada, defending Holland, said the two women checked that the sunflowers were protected by a glass cover before throwing away the soup.

A number of Just Stop Oil supporters gathered outside the court, some holding posters depicting historical figures imprisoned for activism.

In recent years, Just Stop Oil has been behind a number of high-profile stunts, including at major sporting events and on the UK transport network. The attack on “Sunflowers” ​​was the second artwork at the National Gallery to be targeted in 2022, after two Just Stop Oil activists stuck themselves to John Constable’s “The Hay Wain”.

Van Gogh's 1888 masterpiece, painted in Arles, southern France, was not damaged in the 2022 attack because it was covered with protective glass.

However, the gold-colored frame suffered $13,000 worth of damage. Museum staff had feared that the soup might have leaked through and caused immeasurable damage to the painting.

Activists joined the group in June sprayed several of the old stones of Britain's icon Stonehenge Spot with an orange substance. A video released by the group showed two activists running toward the UNESCO World Heritage site's prehistoric stones with what looked like fire extinguishers and then spraying them with what the group said was “orange colored powder.” Two people were arrested.