Activists glue themselves to Van Gogh painting

Anti-oil activists have glued themselves to a Van Gogh painting at a London museum Read Full Article at RT.com

Activists glue themselves to Van Gogh painting

The stunt comes a day after the same group targeted another painting in a British museum

Activists from the Just Stop Oil group raided the Courtauld Gallery in London on Thursday, gluing themselves to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Two people targeted the 1889 painting ‘Peach Trees in Blossom’.

They glued their hands to the painting’s frame, apparently seeking to avoid damaging the masterpiece itself. It was not immediately clear whether the activists used petroleum-based adhesives for their stunt.

The two activists then called upon the UK government to end new fossil fuel projects. The group also said in a statement that the action targeting museums was supposed to rally “art institutions to join them in civil resistance.”

The stunt prompted a heavy police response, with multiple officers arriving to the scene to detach the protesters from the painting, footage shared by the group on social media shows.

The protest comes a day after the group staged a similar stunt at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. The activists targeted a 19th century painting by Horatio McCulloch, ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’, with two gluing themselves to its frame. Other activists spray-painted the museum’s walls with the ‘Just Stop Oil’ slogan. All in all, five activists ended up arrested for the group’s stunt in Glasgow.