Two Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists have been told they could face prison for throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ painting and gluing their hands to the wall beneath it. Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland launched the contents of two tins of tomato soup onto the painting at the National Gallery in central London in October 2022. The gold-coloured frame of the glass-covered painting was reportedly damaged by the attack. District Judge Christopher Hehir told the pair to be “prepared in practical and emotional terms to go to prison” when they are sentenced on 27 September.
According to Hehir, the activists “came within the width of a pane of glass of destroying one of the most valuable artworks in the world”. Plummer and Holland must adhere to strict bail conditions before the sentence is delivered. They cannot carry glue, paint or any adhesive substance in a public place, and they must not visit galleries or museums. Last week, the same judge sentenced five JSO activists to jail terms of between four and five years after they vandalised different locations in the UK.
Speaking after the verdict, Holland’s solicitor Katie McFadden said she was “extremely disappointed” and was considering an appeal. She remarked that the UK government had little interest in curbing climate change and they were prosecuting young people seeking to fight for the future of themselves and their children. The painting, which is part of a series of four extraordinary sunflower still lifes created by Van Gogh in less than a week during summer 1888 in Arles, has been part of the National Gallery’s collection for 100 years.
This priceless piece was the second painting targeted by JSO in the National Gallery in 2022, with two activists gluing themselves to John Constable’s ‘The Hay Wain’ in July. Eben Lazarus and Hannah Hunt were found guilty of causing criminal damage in December 2022. The paint attack has culminated in discussions about how best to protect cultural heritage from environmental activism
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