Climate demonstrator sticks his head on the painting “The Girl with the Pearl Earring”

A climate protester stuck his head on ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, the famous painting by Johannes Vermeer that was on display at a museum in The Hague on Thursday, the latest in a series of actions by activists that have targeted world-famous paintings in recent months as protesters have sought to draw attention to climate change. .

Recently included stunts Throwing mashed potatoes at a painting by Claude Monet And the Sprinkle soup on a painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Vermeer’s much celebrated painting from 1665 is Part of the collection in Mauritshuisa small museum displaying Dutch and Flemish paintings from the seventeenth century.

The One minute video from the event It shows a man approaching the painting and sticking his head to it. At the same time, another man sticks his hand on the wall next to the artwork and pours a red substance on the head and body of the first man.

The protester who put his hand on the wall addresses the protesters who have gathered around him. People can be heard gasping, expressing their anger, and calling the husband “obscene”.

“How do you feel when you see something beautiful and priceless seemingly destroyed before your eyes?” said the protester. “Do you feel angry? Good. Where is that feeling when you see the planet being destroyed in front of your eyes?”

He then assures the other patrons that the painting is protected by glass, a statement that seems to do little to quell their anger. Many people can be heard telling him to “shut up”.

A spokesman for the Mauritius Museum, Renee Timmermans, confirmed that the accident occurred around 2:00 p.m. local time. He said the artwork, under a layer of glass, was not damaged and that it would be back on display “as soon as possible”.

“Art is defenseless, and Mauricho resolutely rejects attempts to destroy it for any purpose whatsoever,” said Mr. Timmermans.

Dutch police He said on Twitter She made three arrests in connection with the incident.

Intrigue on the painting, depicting a luminous young woman wearing a vibrant colored turban and an oversized shiny pearl earring, over the decades, may have been amplified by popular images in a novel that explored the identity of Vermeer’s inspiration. The book, which shares its name with the painting and was written by Tracy Chevalier, was later Quoted in a movie Starring Scarlett Johansson.

Ms Chevalier said in a statement that while sympathetic to the frustration of climate activists, she hoped they would choose goals that are “more clearly related to their just cause than my favorite sketch.”

“For me, seeing that painting being vandalized is like watching a daughter being attacked. I feel so relieved that it is protected by glass,” she said.

At least three acts were reported by climate activists and targeted for artworks this month, which took place in London, Germany and now in the Netherlands.

The protesters who targeted the “girl with the pearl earring” on Thursday were wearing T-shirts with a slogan Just stop the oilIt is a group that opposes oil and gas projects in Britain.

The group’s spokeswoman, Lucy Greaves, said in a statement that she did not organize the work.

“We salute those ordinary, ordinary people who refuse to stand aside, and who come forward to work,” she said. “Finishing new oil and gas, our demand supported worldwide.”

“If we don’t stop the damage from burning fossil fuels, no one will be looking at these masterpieces,” she said.

On October 14, two members of the group were behind Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup in “sunflowerBy Vincent Van GoghAnd the One of the most beloved paintings is in the National Gallery in London.

The two young activists who threw the soup spoke at an online meeting hosted by Just Stop Oil on Thursday. They said the measure was possible, despite being fueled by fear and anger over the climate crisis and the instability it is causing for their future.

Anna Holland, a 20-year-old college student, called it “the most healing and healing moment of my life,” an act “on the right side of history.”

Another protest participant is worried that he may face a prison sentence.

I am not a criminal. “I’m a scared kid trying to fight for their future,” said Phoebe Plummer. “Where is this emotional response when our planet and people are being destroyed? Where is that trauma when we are on the verge of losing a real sunflower?”

On Sunday, two activists from the Last Generation group stuck their hands on the wall afterwards throw mashed potatoes on me “Piles of grainBy Claude Monet at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Germany.

And earlier this year, in Paris, a solo activist adopted an elaborate stunt, disguised as a woman in a wheelchair and Smearing pastries on the Mona Lisa In the Louvre Museum.

In the end, no permanent damage was done to the artwork. They were all behind glass.

Alex Marshall Contribute to the preparation of reports.