Two activists from the group “Just Stop Oil” used small hammers to hit Velazquez’s painting of Venus, also known as “Venus with a mirror”. The photos showed a broken protective glass panel.
Just Stop Oil, which has previously staged similar protests against famous works of art and public buildings, said Monday’s action was aimed at demanding that the British government immediately suspend all licenses for the exploration, development and extraction of fossil fuels in the UK.
On Monday, the group said the two activists had chosen the 17th-century Velazquez’s oil painting, one of the Spanish artist’s most famous masterpieces, as it was previously cut in 1914. during the suffragette movement for women’s rights.
According to the organization Just Stop Oil, the protesters smashed a glass panel and then told people in the gallery: “Women won the right to vote by not voting. The time has come not for words, but for deeds.”
“Politics is ruining us. She disappointed women in 1914. and let us down now,” they added.
Police said both activists were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. The National Gallery said the painting had been removed from display to be examined by restorers.
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2024-10-02 09:58:24
