Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ Back on Display After Being Vandalized by Soup

The famous painting was a target of a protest by two activists who were seen wearing t-shirts that read “Just Stop Oil.” The protestors threw a can of soup at the 1888 Van Gogh painting and then proceeded to glue their hands to the wall. After they were unglued, they were charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass, London police said.

Two protestors threw a can of soup at Vincent van Gogh’s 1888 “Sunflowers” painting at the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square. The protestors then glued their hands to the wall beneath the painting and asked, “What is worth more: art or life?”

The Dutch painter's artwork is back on display about six hours after the soup incident. The “Sunflowers” painting was cleaned and put back on display after some “minor damage” to the frame, according to the museum. The painting itself was left unharmed, as it is protected by glass.

“Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” asked one of the activists. “The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of the oil crisis. Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup. Meanwhile, crops are failing, millions of people are dying in monsoons, wildfires and severe droughts.”

“We cannot afford new oil and gas. It is going to take everything we know and love,” concluded the protestors as security arrived on the scene.

The grassroots group, Just Stop Oil, is a “coalition of groups working together to ensure that the government commits to ending all new licenses and consents for the exploration, development, and production of fossil fuels in the [United Kingdom],” according to their website. The group hopes to get the government to “halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the U.K.” and spreads its message by staging protests.

Responses to the staged protests were mixed, with some criticizing the protestors actions despite their intentions.

“I’m struggling to understand why destroying a painting of sunflowers done by Van Gogh, an impoverished man who was marginalized in his local community due to his mental illness, is the right target to make a statement about how awful the oil industry is,” said one Twitter user.

“I get that this feels dumb but van Gogh isn’t crying over this cause he’s dead and typically the point of demonstrations and protests are to be obtrusive and make people take notice for their cause so. Point accomplished really,” wrote another Twitter user.