The National Gallery in London has introduced a ban on liquids in response to a series of activist attacks on its artworks, including Vincent van Gogh's iconic Sunflowers.
The museum is urging visitors to bring only "minimal items" and avoid "large bags" to the premises. However, exceptions to the liquid ban include baby formula, expressed breast milk, and prescription medicines.
In a statement, the National Gallery explained, "Unfortunately, we have now reached a point where we have been forced to act to protect our visitors, staff, and collection." The decision follows a series of incidents that began in July 2022, with attacks on works such as John Constable's The Hay Wain and van Gogh's Sunflowers.
The gallery emphasized the significant impact these attacks have had, saying, "Such attacks have caused physical damage to the artworks, distress to visitors and staff alike, and disruption to our mission to ensure great art is available for everyone, everywhere to enjoy." The museum noted that two of these attacks occurred in the last two weeks, leading to the "difficult and unfortunate decision" to change its security policies for the foreseeable future.
In one of the more recent incidents, two versions of van Gogh's Sunflowers were targeted with soup by Just Stop Oil activists. Although the paintings themselves were unharmed, the frames sustained damage estimated at up to £20,000 (€24,000). Last month, two other Just Stop Oil activists were jailed for committing a similar act in 2022.
In another recent protest, two individuals were arrested after pasting a photo of a bloodied mother and child in Gaza over a Picasso painting, calling for an arms embargo on Israel.
Activist groups Just Stop Oil and Youth Demand have defended their protests, linking them to historical movements like the Suffragettes. In an open letter to the National Museum Directors' Council, they offered to meet for discussions at the gallery. The groups stated that their actions are meant to cause "small amounts of damage and disruption" to raise awareness of climate change and the dangers of fossil fuels. "The arts are unsuccessful in refuting climate denial. Politics has failed us. Resistance is our only remaining option," the letter declared. Photo by Michael Coppins, Wikimedia commons.