In the latest such incident, climate activists from Just Stop Oil tried gluing their heads and hands to the iconic Girl With a Pearl Earring painting by Vermeer.
Last week, two activists, suspected to be from the climate action group Just Stop Oil, entered the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, Netherlands. There, one of the activists tried to glue his shaven head to the Girl With a Pearl Earring which was on display in the museum. The other activist threw soup on his partner and superglued his hand to the wall next to the painting.
The activists were reported to give the following statement: “How do you feel when you see something beautiful and priceless apparently being destroyed before your eyes? Do you feel outraged? Good. Where is that feeling when you see the planet being destroyed?” The two activists were wearing Just Stop Oil t-shirts, though it is not clear if they were indeed a part of the infamous group. It was not yet revealed if the painting received any damage.
This was the latest in the series of climate-related protests that involve attacking artworks. While the attack on art to make a statement is nothing new, the action has become a trend in recent weeks. In the last few months, climate activists have formed a habit of supergluing themselves to artworks in order to make a statement; most such actions were taken by the group Just Stop Oil. However, the group rose to international fame when a few weeks ago, two members of the group threw soup at a Vincent van Gogh painting in the UK and superglued themselves to the floor. This prompted many similar demonstrations across the world, including throwing mashed potatoes at a Monet in Germany.