Two Just Stop Oil protesters who threw a tin of Heinz tomato soup over Van Gogh’s masterpiece Sunflowers risked causing ‘serious damage’ to the painting, a court has been told.
Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, both 22, threw the liquid at the Dutch artist’s painting while it was on display at the National Gallery on October 14, 2022.
The pair, who also glued themselves to the wall after the act, damaged the 17th century Italian frame the artwork was housed in, although the 1888 oil-on-canvas painting itself was protected by a glass cover, Southwark Crown Court heard.
It meant that the drawing itself, which is worth up to £72.5million and is one of the world’s most recognisable pieces of art, luckily went unharmed.
On Monday Plummer and Holland appeared in court where they accepted throwing the soup, but denied causing criminal damage to the frame.
Francesca Kolar, prosecuting, told jurors: ‘At around 11am on 14 October 2022 the defendants attended The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London, purporting to be visitors just like any member of the public visiting the gallery that day.
‘In fact, they were at the gallery to protest on behalf of Just Stop Oil.
‘You may have heard of Just Stop Oil. It is a well known organisation that undertakes direct action whose aims are – the clue is in the title – to stop oil and gas.
‘On 14 October they walked around to gallery 43, which housed one of the most sought after artworks by the visiting public – ‘Sunflowers’ by Vincent Van Gogh.
‘When the coast was relatively clear, they went up to the ‘Sunflowers’ painting.
They took off their jackets to reveal white t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘Just Stop Oil’.
‘They took two tins of Heinz tomato soup out of bags and simultaneously threw the contents of the tins of tomato soup onto the painting.’
‘They kneeled down and began to open tubes of superglue and lathered it over their left hands. They fixed their hands to the wall of the gallery behind them.’
‘Targeting one of the most famous paintings in the world in The National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square in the heart of the national capital, the Crown say is a publicity stunt to bring attention to the aims of Just Stop Oil.’
‘Whilst this risked serious damage to a priceless painting by one of the greatest artists – Vincent Van Gogh – there was, we say, actual damage to the seventeenth century Italian frame chosen specifically to house this painting by The National Gallery in 1999.’
Ms Kolar told the court people were heard saying ‘Oh my gosh’ as the painting was attacked during the protest which was filmed: ‘This is unlikely to be a coincidence, because within minutes the protest had been uploaded onto Just Stop Oil’s twitter page.
She said the Italian frame was ‘a piece of art in itself.’
Larry Keith, the Head of Conservation at The National Gallery, said he had been giving a lecture to postgraduate students when he was informed of the incident, and went down to the gallery.
‘At the time I entered there appeared to be two people attached to the wall… The painting itself was covered in liquid.’
He told the court that the painting was taken from the gallery on a trolley to be examined.
‘We weren’t sure if the liquid had penetrated the frame and made the picture wet. That would potentially have been very serious.’
‘My principal concern was to make sure that the painting itself had not been damaged.
‘It was clear that the frame had been affected by the attack. It had changed in terms of its surface.’
Ms Kolar asked him if anyone had asked permission from the gallery to stage a protest there.
‘I certainly wasn’t. I’m not aware that anyone was.’
Judge Christopher Hehir quipped: ‘I can’t imagine that Mr Keith is keen on people throwing soup over paintings.’
Plummer, who is representing herself, asked Mr Keith how he felt when he found out that the painting itself had not been damaged.
‘I was very relieved’, he said.
Holland, of Newcastle, and Plummer, of Lambeth, deny damaging property.
The trial continues tomorrow.
