Climate Protester Glues His Head to ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ Painting - The New York Times

Arts|Climate Protester Glues His Head to ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ Painting

A clime protester glued his caput to “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” the celebrated coating by Johannes Vermeer that was connected grounds astatine a depository successful The Hague connected Thursday, the latest successful a bid of actions by activists that person targeted world-renowned paintings successful caller months arsenic the protesters person sought to gully attraction to clime change.

The stunts person precocious included hurling mashed potatoes astatine a coating by Claude Monet and splattering crockery connected a coating by Vincent van Gogh.

Vermeer’s much-celebrated coating from 1665 is part of the postulation astatine the Mauritshuis, a tiny depository exhibiting Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 17th century.

The one-minute video clip of the action shows a antheral coming adjacent to the coating and gluing his caput to it. At the aforesaid time, different antheral adheres his manus to the partition adjacent to the artwork and pours a reddish substance connected the archetypal man’s caput and body.

The protester who glued his manus to the partition addresses onlookers who person gathered around. People tin beryllium heard gasping, expressing their outrage and calling the brace “obscene.”

“How bash you consciousness erstwhile you spot thing beauteous and priceless being seemingly destroyed earlier your eyes?” the protester said. “Do you consciousness outraged? Good. Where is that feeling erstwhile you spot the satellite being destroyed earlier your precise eyes?”

He past assures different patrons that the coating is protected by glass, a connection which seemingly does small to blunt their anger. Several radical tin beryllium heard telling him to “shut up.”

René Timmermans, a spokesperson for the Mauritshuis museum, confirmed that the incidental occurred astir 2 p.m. section time. He said that the artwork, protected by glass, was not damaged and that it would beryllium backmost connected presumption “as soon arsenic possible.”

“Art is defenseless, and the Mauritshuis firmly rejects attempts to harm it for immoderate intent whatsoever,” Mr. Timmermans said.

The Dutch constabulary said connected Twitter that it had made 3 arrests successful transportation to the incident.

Intrigue implicit the painting, depicting a young pistillate wearing a vibrantly colored turban and an oversized, gleaming pearl earring, has grown implicit the decades, perchance amplified by fashionable depictions successful a caller that explored the individuality of Vermeer’s muse. The book, which shares its sanction with the coating and was written by Tracy Chevalier, was aboriginal adapted into a movie starring Scarlett Johansson.

Ms. Chevalier said successful a connection that portion she empathized with the vexation of the clime activists, she hoped they would take targets “more evidently connected with their conscionable origin than my favourite painting.”

“For me, seeing that coating vandalized is similar watching a girl being attacked. I’m precise relieved she’s protected by glass,” she said.

There person been astatine slightest 3 reported actions by clime activists targeting artworks this month, which took spot successful London, Germany and present successful the Netherlands.

The protesters who targeted “Girl With a Pearl Earring” connected Thursday were wearing shirts printed with the logo of Just Stop Oil, a radical opposing lipid and state projects successful Britain.

A spokeswoman for the radical said successful a connection that it had not organized this action.

“We applaud those mean mundane radical who garbage to basal by, who measurement up to act,” she said. “Ending caller lipid and gas, our request is supported crossed the world.”

“If we don’t halt the harm caused by burning fossil fuels determination volition beryllium nary 1 to look astatine the masterpieces,” she said.

On Oct. 14, 2 of the group’s members were down the flinging of Heinz pick of herb soup astatine “Sunflowers” by Vincent van Gogh, 1 of the astir beloved paintings astatine the National Gallery successful London.

On Sunday, 2 activists with the radical Last Generation glued their hands to the partition aft throwing mashed potatoes connected “Grainstacks” by Claude Monet astatine the Museum Barberini successful Potsdam, Germany.

And earlier this year, successful Paris, a lone activistic adopted an elaborate ruse, disguising himself arsenic pistillate successful a wheelchair and smearing a pastry connected the Mona Lisa astatine the Louvre Museum.

Ultimately, nary lasting harm has been done to the artworks. They were each down glass.

Alex Marshall contributed reporting.