Why are climate activists gluing themselves to artistic masterpieces?

Priceless paintings are becoming props for environmentalists to protest in public

'Campbell's Soup Cans' by Andy Warhol was been targeted by climate activists at the National Gallery of Australia. Photo: Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies

A police officer stands outside the Mauritshuis museum, where three people were arrested for attempting to smudge Vermeer's painting 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', currently exhibited there, in The Hague, Netherlands on October 27, 2022. EPA

Two environmental activists of Last Generation glue themselves to metal bars around a display of dinosaur skeletons and holding a banner reading "what if the government does not have it under control" in the Berlin's Natural History Museum, in Berlin on October 30. AFP

Climate protesters of Last Generation after throwing mashed potatoes at the Claude Monet painting 'Les Meules' at Potsdam’s Barberini Museum on October 24. AP

Protesters throw two tins of Heinz tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s famous 1888 work Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London on October 14. Photo: Just Stop Oil

Three young supporters of Just Stop Oil spray-painted around the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. Two also glued themselves to the frame of Horatio McCulloch's painting 'My Heart’s in the Highlands' on June 29 this year. Photo: Just Stop Oil

Two activists glued themselves to the frame of Vincent van Gogh’s 'Peach Trees in Blossom' (1889) at The Courtauld Gallery in London on June 30. Photo: Just Stop Oil

On July 1, two activists glued themselves to the frame of 'Tomson’s Aeolian Harp' (1809), a painting by JMW Turner, at the Manchester Art Gallery. Photo: Just Stop Oil

Activists from the 'Just Stop Oil' campaign group cover 'The Hay Wain' painting by English artist John Constable, in a mock 'undated' version including roads and aircraft, before glueing their hands to the frame in protest against the use of fossil fuels, at The National Gallery in London on July 4. AFP

Activists glue their hands to the frame of the painting 'The Hay Wain' on July 4. AFP

Five Just Stop Oil activists spray paint the wall and glue themselves to the frame of the painting the 'Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci on July 5, at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photo: In Pictures via Getty Images

Two activists of the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) environmentalist group glue themselves to the glass protecting Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli's 'Primavera (Spring)' in Florence's Uffizi Galleries on July 22. Photo: Ultima Generation via AP

A museum official tries to block two activists of Ultima Generazione (Last Generation). Photo: Ultima Generation via AP

Visitors take pictures and video of the 'Mona Lisa' after cake was smeared on its protective glass at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 29. Photo: Twitter / @klevisl007 via Reuters

Museums are increasingly becoming the target of climate change protesters.

At the centre is Just Stop Oil, a group of environmental activists responsible for five recent demonstrations in UK museums and the subjects of several arrests owing to their activities.

In June, two campaigners glued themselves to Horatio McCulloch's painting My Heart’s in the Highlands (1860), at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

Also in June, two other activists glued themselves to the frame of Vincent van Gogh’s Peach Trees in Blossom (1889) at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

“I’m sorry everybody, we don’t want to be doing this. We’re here glued to this painting, this beautiful painting, because we’re terrified for our future," said Louis McKechnie, 21, one of the protesters with Just Stop Oil, which has received funding from US philanthropic organisation Climate Emergency Fund.

McKechnie also pointed out climate change is threatening the landscape depicted in Van Gogh’s painting of the countryside near Arles, southern France.

In July, two activists glued themselves to the frame of Tomson’s Aeolian Harp (1809), a painting by JMW Turner at the Manchester Art Gallery. In a statement on their website, Just Stop Oil said the piece depicts areas of London that could be underwater as early as 2030.

The following week saw two more protests by the non-violent group.

Two campaigners glued themselves to the frame of Hay Wain (1821) by John Constable at The National Gallery, London. They also covered the work with a reimagined version depicting how the continued use of oil will destroy the countryside. This version replaced the river with roads, filled the sky with aeroplanes and trees burning in wild fire.

Another demonstration was at the Royal Academy, London, which saw five protestors glue their hands to The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

“Leonardo da Vinci said out of all the sciences, art is the queen of communication,” said one of the protestors. “In this day and age, communication for truth of the experience of humanity during these times of catastrophic climate change is needed now more than ever.”

As part of their peaceful resistance, Just Stop Oil also spray-paint their logo on the floors or walls of the museum where a protest is taking place. In the Royal Academy, the words “No New Oil” were also spray-painted under the Renaissance masterpiece.

There have been other recent instances of protestors from other groups around Europe infiltrating museums, too..

In May, at the Louvre Museum in Paris, a man smeared cake over the glass shield protecting the Mona Lisa by Leonardo. As he was being escorted away, the protestor yelled he was acting against “people who were destroying the planet”.

More recently, protesters from the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) group in Italy stuck their hands on Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera (meaning Spring) in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, while holding a sign reading "Ultima Generazione, no gas, no carbon".

“Is it possible to see a spring as beautiful as this today?” Ultima Generazione said in a statement.

No harm came to the painting, it was reported in local press, as the group had consulted with art restoration experts beforehand. “In the same way that we defend our artistic heritage, we should be dedicated to the care and protection of the planet that we share with the rest of the world,” a statement on the Italian group’s website said.

While museums and galleries have a long history of being at the centre of political and social protests — such as artist Nan Goldin's protests against the Sackler family and America's opioid crisis — this is the first time activists have glued themselves to artworks, potentially damaging priceless masterpieces.

Minimal damage has been reported from museums, however, and solvents can be used to dissolve the glue without affecting the paintings. After all, the longevity of the artworks and art world depends on the longevity of our planet, say activists.

The main aim of Just Stop Oil is to stir up publicity, something they've successfully done. Yet, while many have applauded their efforts, others aren't impressed. Nadine Dorries, Britain’s culture minister, for example, tweeted the protesters were “attention seekers” who “aren’t helping anything other than their own selfish egos".

"Disrupting access to our fabulous cultural assets and putting them at risk of damage is unacceptable. These protestors should be removed and held responsible for the damage and disruption," she said.

The debate only serves to push the conversation forward, say activists who are urging organisations to take immediate action against environmentally unfriendly materials.

"Directors of art institutions should be calling on the government to stop all new oil and gas projects immediately," McKechnie said in a statement on Just Stop Oil's website. "We are either in resistance or we are complicit."

It is only one in a number of ways activist groups across the world are now trying to drive this message home.

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