Van Gogh painting makes a splash as activists throw soup on it

In a bizarre protest, climate change activists threw soup on one of the most popular paintings of all time, “Sunflowers” by Vincent van Gogh. The two women are members of the Just Stop Oil campaign and attacked the painting where it hangs at the National Gallery in London. The painting was fortunately not harmed, aside from some small damage to the frame it’s in.

But the activists were arrested for aggravated trespassing and criminal damage. The incident was filmed as the two women threw two cans worth of Heinz tomato soup onto Van Gogh’s painting and then glued themselves to the wall. One of the activists explained the reasoning for the soup in a speech while glued below the painting.

“What is worth more? Art or life? Is it worth more than food, worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of the painting or the protection of our planet and people? The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of the oil crisis. Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup.”

The soup splash stunt was the latest in a string of protests designed to bring attention to climate change. Just Stop Oil is demanding that the UK put a moratorium on all new gas and oil projects. The group was formed just eight months ago in the UK and went straight to work disrupting oil terminals in April. They are calling for no new licenses to be issued for the production of fossil fuels.

Police managed to detach the women’s hands from the museum wall under the famous Van Gogh work and take them into custody. They were moved to a central London police station to face charges according to a statement police made on Twitter.

Sunflowers was painted in 1888 is reportedly the work of art that Van Gogh was most proud of. Five different versions of the painting are currently on display around the world in premier galleries and museums. It regularly appears on posters, postcards, stationery, mugs, tea towels and more. Some estimates put the value of the Van Gogh masterpiece as high as US$84 million (over 3.2 billion baht).