Anti-oil activists glue themselves to Van Gogh painting

The stunt comes a day after the same group targeted another painting in a British museum

Climate activist group Just Stop Oil raided the Courtauld Gallery in London on Thursday, gluing themselves to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Two activists targeted the 1889 painting ‘Peach Trees in Blossom’.

The activists glued their palms to the painting’s frame, apparently seeking to avoid damaging the masterpiece itself. It was not immediately clear whether the activists used petroleum-based adhesives for their stunt.

The two activists then called upon the UK government to end new fossil fuel projects. The group also said in a statement that the action targeting museums was supposed to rally “art institutions to join them in civil resistance.”

BREAKING: Just Stop Oil protesters have glued themselves to a Vincent Van Gogh painting at London's Courtauld Gallery. More follows... pic.twitter.com/5a1ZblKgzu

— TalkTV (@TalkTV) June 30, 2022

The stunt has prompted a heavy police response, with multiple officers arriving to the scene to detach the protesters from the painting’s frame and bring them in, footage shared by the group on social media shows.

A piece of art receives this protection and state concern. Whilst people’s in Ethiopia, Somalia, India, Pakistan, the USA, Australia (to name a few) who are suffering from climate change NOW get ignored and left.
What’s more important? This painting? Or a future?! #JustStopOil pic.twitter.com/rFfozEPlYE

— JustStopOil (@JustStop_Oil) June 30, 2022

The protest comes a day after the group staged a similar stunt at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. The activists targeted a 19th century painting by Horatio McCulloch, ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’, with two gluing themselves to its frame. Other activists spray-painted the museum’s walls with the ‘Just Stop Oil’ slogan. All in all, five activists ended up arrested for the group’s stunt in Glasgow.

Learn More