Just Stop Oil activists have poured soup over two Vincent Van Gogh paintings just hours after other members of the group were jailed for damaging the gold frame of the artist’s Sunflowers.
In a statement, one of the activists taking part, Ludi Simpson, 71, said: “We will be held accountable for our actions today, and we will face the full force of the law.
“When will the fossil fuel executives and the politicians they’ve bought be held accountable for the criminal damage that they are imposing on every living thing?”
The post featured a video of the activists vandalising the artwork before telling an angry crowd: “There are people in prison for demanding an end to new oil and gas, something which is now government policy after sustained, disruptive actions, countless headlines and the resulting political pressure.
“Future generations will regard these prisoners of conscience to be on the right side of history.”
The National Gallery confirmed the three activists had been arrested and the paintings remain unharmed.
A statement said: “At just after 2.30pm this afternoon, three people entered Room 6 of the National Gallery Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition.
“They appeared to throw a soup like substance over two works – Sunflowers (1888, National Gallery, London) and Sunflowers (1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art).
“Police were called and three people have been arrested.
“The paintings were removed from display and examined by a conservator and are unharmed.
“We are aiming to reopen the exhibition as soon as possible.”
Phoebe Plummer 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were jailed on Friday after causing as much as £10,000 worth of damage to the artwork’s gold-coloured frame when they targeted it at London’s National Gallery.
The court heard how the pair launched the contents of two tins of Heinz tomato soup at the world-famous painting as it hung in London’s National Gallery.
Staff rushed to take Sunflowers from the wall and were relieved to find the artwork had escaped damage due to its protective glass screen.
However, soup dripped on to the 17th Century Italian frame, causing damage estimated to be worth £10,000.
Judge Christopher Hehir sentenced Plummer to two years and three months in prison and jailed Holland for 20 months, calling the stunt “stupidity” and concluding they “couldn’t have cared less” if Sunflowers had been damaged.
“The frame was permanently damaged by your idiotic and criminal actions”, he said.
“The painting itself, Sunflowers, could have been seriously damaged or even destroyed. Your stance at trial was a blithe dismissal of the risk involved in what you did.”
