The UK National Gallery has banned liquids after attacks on artworks by climate activists.

The UK National Gallery has banned liquids after attacks on artworks by climate activists.

The UK National Gallery has banned liquids after attacks on artworks by activists

A museum in London, which has been targeted by climate activists, is implementing new security measures, including a ban on liquids, starting today.

The National Gallery in London, England, has announced that it is banning liquids after attacks on artworks including Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers by climate activists.

The museum is urging visitors to bring “the bare minimum” and “no large bags”, and the ban does not include baby formula, expressed breast milk or prescription medication.

“Unfortunately, we have reached a point where we have had to take action to protect our visitors, our staff and our collection,” the museum said in a statement.

The museum cited a number of attacks on artworks since July 2022, including John Constable’s The Hay Wain and Sunflowers.

“These attacks have caused physical damage to artworks, distress to visitors and staff, and disruption to our mission to ensure that great works of art are available to everyone, everywhere,” it said. “Two of these attacks have occurred in the last two weeks, and as a result we have made the difficult and unfortunate decision to change the way we work for the foreseeable future.”

Last month, soup was poured over two versions of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers, followed by the arrest of two other Just Stop Oil activists in 2022 over similar acts. The paintings were not damaged, but prosecutors said the frames were damaged and were worth around £20,000 (€24,000).

Last week, two men in Gaza were arrested for pasting a photo of a bloodied mother and child over a Picasso painting and calling for an arms embargo on Israel.

Just Stop Oil and Youth Demand wrote an open letter to the National Council of Museum Directors on Wednesday, offering to meet them at the Gallery. They said their protests were part of a proud tradition dating back to the Suffragette movement, and that their actions were “causing small amounts of damage and disruption” to draw attention to the dangers of global warming and fossil fuels.

“Art is failing to refute climate denial. Politics has failed us. Our only remaining option is resistance,” they said.

Source: https://tr.euronews.com/kultur/2024/10/18/ingiltere-ulusal-galerisi-iklim-aktivistlerinin-sanat-eserlerine-yonelik-saldirilari-sonra