The climate activists seem to be coming out in full force in recent weeks. An activist now glued his head to the glass covering the world-famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring” painting at a museum in The Hague on Thursday. Another activist glued his hand to the wall next to the 1665 work by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, before throwing some sort of a liquid on it, the Mauritshuis museum said.
However, the art piece did not endure any damage, gallery staff said.
In a video circulating on social media, the two men can be seen near the painting, both wearing “Just Stop Oil” T-shirts.
“The police were notified and three people have been arrested. The condition of the painting was inspected by our restorer. Fortunately, the glass-covered masterwork was not damaged,” the museum said.
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In other videos posted online, one of the men can be heard saying, “How do you feel when you see something beautiful and priceless being apparently destroyed before your very eyes?”
The two men in the video were seen being escorted away by police in more footage.
Dutch police issued a statement and informed that they had arrested three Belgian men in their 40s for damage to public property. A forensic investigation is underway and they are being questioned.
Earlier this month, Just Stop Oil activists threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Sunflowers” at London’s National Gallery. However, the glass shield helped avoid any damage.
Just Stop Oil had claimed responsibility for that incident.
“That is that same feeling when you see the planet being destroyed,” he adds.
“The message is clear. If humanity does not immediately stop using fossil fuels, it will become extinct,” it said. “They would never defile a work of art not covered with protective glass.”
Activists of the same group had a few days back smeared chocolate cake on the wax statue of King Charles III at Madame Tussauds in London.
(With inputs from agencies)
