The women who threw tomato soup at the painting sunflowers Vincent van Gogh were indicted on Saturday by a British judge for vandalism. They are free to await their trial, which is due on December 13. Until then, they are not allowed to visit museums or art galleries and not carry paint or glue in public spaces. After their action they both glued one hand to the wall of the National Gallery in London, where the incident took place on Friday.
The women, aged 20 and 21, have declared their innocence at the time of their arraignment. On behalf of the Just Stop Oil campaign group, they want to draw attention to climate change and the increased cost of living, which they believe are partly caused by the oil crisis. “Which is worth more: art or life?” said one of them during the action, which is part of successive days of action that protesters call a period of “continuous disruption.” On Saturday, dozens of activists glued themselves to a busy motorway in London, so British media reports.
Van Gogh’s paintingone of five versions of sunflowers that the Dutch artist painted between 1888 and 1889 in Arles, southern France, came out unscathed. A glass plate prevented the tomato soup from reaching the canvas. According to the museum, the frame was slightly damaged.
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