Just Stop Oil protesters throw soup at Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ | USA TODAY #Shorts

Just Stop Oil protesters threw cans of tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting at London’s National Gallery.

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Climate protesters threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in London’s National Gallery on Friday to protest fossil fuel extraction, but caused no discernible damage to the glass-covered painting.

The group Just Stop Oil, which wants the British government to halt new oil and gas projects, said activists dumped two cans of tomato soup over the oil painting, one of the Dutch artist’s most iconic works. The two protesters also glued themselves to the gallery wall.

The soup splashed across the glass covering the painting and its gilded frame. The gallery said “there is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed.” The work is one of several versions of “Sunflowers” that Van Gogh painted in the late 1880s.

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35 comments

    1. They must’ve heard “oil based painting” and thought “this oughta show those oil tycoons and their oil paintings!” … bless their hearts 🤣🤣🤣
      it’s okay, they are just mentally ill. Nobody to take seriously. Also there are ways to save priceless artifacts against people looking for handouts. So the painting will likely be alright. The people getting paid the fines those millennials are gonna have to pay or risk jail time for such vandalism and criminal misconduct sure are gonna line somebody’s pockets to help them eat. Good going hahaha 🤣. The only historical thing they caused was an insurance settlement. Either they knew it was insured and that was the point, or they didn’t know that and are just stupid. Likely the second one lmao… Oil companies aren’t fought in art galleries. Puzzies can’t handle a real protest and take it to their corporations, they gotta go somewhere with unarmed security. What a “riot” (comically, not literally)! 😂🎉joke is on them. 😮

    1. @jaknap1 because it’s a rare painting that people will pay millions for. It’s not too hard to understand.

  1. They really screwed up if that’s the real painting. You don’t go in and destroy a historical painting worth over $80 million and not think there won’t be repercussions. They got the attention they wanted but if you do something massively disrespectful at the same time it makes your point mute. It makes the people you’re trying to get to listen to you shack their heads at you even more.

  2. All these people do is turn people against them. Like toddlers throwing a tantrum in the supermarket because they want candy.

    1. They must’ve heard “oil based painting” and thought “this oughta show those oil tycoons and their oil paintings!” … bless their hearts 🤣🤣🤣
      it’s okay, they are just mentally ill. Nobody to take seriously. Also there are ways to save priceless artifacts against people looking for handouts. So the painting will likely be alright. The people getting paid the fines those millennials are gonna have to pay or risk jail time for such vandalism and criminal misconduct sure are gonna line somebody’s pockets to help them eat. Good going hahaha 🤣. The only historical thing they caused was an insurance settlement. Either they knew it was insured and that was the point, or they didn’t know that and are just stupid. Likely the second one lmao… Oil companies aren’t fought in art galleries. Puzzies can’t handle a real protest and take it to their corporations, they gotta go somewhere with unarmed security. What a “riot” (comically, not literally)! 😂🎉joke is on them. 😮

    2. @Iggy Pap scooty puff puff pass Jr. What they said: “Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” They also knew it was behind protective glass. Worst they’ll get is a slap on the wrist and trespassed from the museum. A protest that doesn’t get attention is basically useless, they got your attention.

      Also stop using emojis, you’re well past the age of picture books.

    1. Young people with no respect for anyone or anything. Van Gogh actually spent his life in poverty, depression and being misunderstood. It’s a shameful act throwing food over the beauty he left for us.

  3. For what it’s worth, as an artist, paintings are covered in a protective layer of something called varnish. It’s a protective layer that covers the painting and can only be removed by heavy solvents.
    So if any soup contacted the painting itself, rest assured, it would be easy to clean off.

  4. Why is the person on the right standing like that? Her posture, and the way she’s holding up the can so you can clearly see the logo, makes it look more like a soup commercial than a protest.

  5. They sure got people’s attentions they wanted. But in a wrong way. They advertised their organization as a group of knuckleheads.

    1. They must’ve heard “oil based painting” and thought “this oughta show those oil tycoons and their oil paintings!” … bless their hearts 🤣🤣🤣
      it’s okay, they are just mentally ill. Nobody to take seriously. Also there are ways to save priceless artifacts against people looking for handouts. So the painting will likely be alright. The people getting paid the fines those millennials are gonna have to pay or risk jail time for such vandalism and criminal misconduct sure are gonna line somebody’s pockets to help them eat. Good going hahaha 🤣. The only historical thing they caused was an insurance settlement. Either they knew it was insured and that was the point, or they didn’t know that and are just stupid. Likely the second one lmao… Oil companies aren’t fought in art galleries. Puzzies can’t handle a real protest and take it to their corporations, they gotta go somewhere with unarmed security. What a “riot” (comically, not literally)! 😂🎉joke is on them. 😮

  6. Seriously? Wtf? There are better ways of getting your message out there. All they did was create a bunch of people that hate them.

  7. They must’ve heard “oil based painting” and thought “this oughta show those oil tycoons and their oil paintings!” … bless their hearts 🤣🤣🤣
    it’s okay, they are just mentally ill. Nobody to take seriously. Also there are ways to save priceless artifacts against people looking for handouts. So the painting will likely be alright. The people getting paid the fines those millennials are gonna have to pay or risk jail time for such vandalism and criminal misconduct sure are gonna line somebody’s pockets to help them eat. Good going hahaha 🤣. The only historical thing they caused was an insurance settlement. Either they knew it was insured and that was the point, or they didn’t know that and are just stupid. Likely the second one lmao… Oil companies aren’t fought in art galleries. Puzzies can’t handle a real protest and take it to their corporations, they gotta go somewhere with unarmed security. What a “riot” (comically, not literally)! 😂🎉joke is on them. 😮

  8. The irony and entitlement in this is overwhelming. The sad thing is, is these people think they are doing something good. All the while, one part of the cause they are standing for, is actually causing the problems of the rest of their cause. Instead of reacting on emotions, do some research and only then will you see that it’s all a lie.

  9. Art is the only pure thing on this planet. Why would anyone destroy it to make a statement? Even if it’s covered by glass this is just so disrespectful…

  10. This is what happens when their parents are middle class and they have not known any real poverty in their entire young lives.

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