Last week, a Picasso painting at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art was attacked with paint by a climate activist.
The incident occurred on Thursday, though it gathered traction only after the footage was posted on Instagram by the activist, who belonged to the group Last Generation Canada (the Canadian chapter of the international climate activism group). Identified as a 21-year-old Marcel, the activist could be seen smearing pink paint over the 1901 work by Pablo Picasso titled L’hetairé. The caption of his post read: “Today, I am not attacking art, nor am I destroying it. I am protecting it. Art, at its core, is depictions of life. It is by the living, for the living. There is no art on a dead planet.”
The museum authorities confirmed that Marcel was escorted out of the museum and arrested. He was later released but must appear in court. It is not clear how much damage the painting sustained.
The climate activist put special focus on the city of Winnipeg, which is currently facing one of the worst summers in recorded history. Apart from the record-breaking heatwave, there have also been warnings of an increased risk of forest fires. Marcel’s statement added: “[W]ere I in Winnipeg right now, would I still be able to make art. Would I have the time, the energy, the resources? Or would I be too caught up in a fight for my survival and well-being, because my government refuses to protect its own people.”
The incident comes at a time when it was believed that the trend of climate activism by attacking artworks was coming to an end. In the last months, many such acts of vandalism were convicted by courts, and Last Generation Austria disbanded due to pending legal fees.
