Activists throw soup on Van Gogh paintings hours after conviction for 2022 incident

Three climate activists from the Just Stop Oil movement threw soup on two Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers paintings at the National Gallery in London on Friday. The incident occurred just hours after two other members of the protest group were sentenced for a similar act in 2022.

The activists hurled tomato soup at the artworks, one of which is owned by the National Gallery and the other which is on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Just Stop Oil shared footage of the action on social media platform X.

In the video, the activists can be seen throwing the soup while shouting that "people are in prison because they demand an end to oil and gas extraction." According to the museum, three individuals were arrested.

The paintings, one from 1888 and the other from 1889, were removed and will be examined by the museum’s conservator. The museum confirmed that the paintings were not damaged.

“Arrogance” judged harshly

In 2022, 23-year-old Phoebe Plummer and 22-year-old Anna Holland threw tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, which belongs to the National Gallery. On Friday, Plummer was sentenced to two years in prison, while Holland received a 20-month prison term. Although the painting was undamaged because it was protected by a special transparent glass, its frame was damaged during the protest.

While delivering the sentences, Judge Christopher Hehir stated, "You simply had no right to do what you did with The Sunflowers. And your arrogance in assuming otherwise warrants the harshest judgment."

The judge added that he considered the potential damage to the priceless artwork, which could have been far greater had the soup seeped through the museum-grade glass protecting The Sunflowers. “It’s clear that Section 63 of the sentencing guidelines is relevant here: when assessing the severity of the crime, one must consider not only the damage caused but also the potential damage that could have been caused.”

He continued, "The painting could have been severely damaged or even destroyed. Your entire attitude during the trial was a cavalier dismissal of the risk your actions posed." The judge concluded, "The act you committed was extreme, disproportionate, and criminally foolish."

It was shortly after the sentencing that three other Just Stop Oil activists again threw soup at Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery. "Future generations will see these prisoners of conscience as those who stood on the right side of history," one of the activists declared.