National Gallery bans liquid after artwork damaged

The National Gallery has banned liquids but babe formula, expressed beverage and medicine medicines aft a fig of attacks connected paintings connected show successful its cardinal London building.

The measure, successful effect from Friday morning, comes successful the aftermath of "physical damage" to its artworks by protesters.

"Unfortunately, we person present reached a constituent wherever we person been forced to enactment to support our visitors, unit and collection," a spokesperson for the assemblage said.

Protesters targeted the creation depository connected 5 separate occasions since July 2022.

Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers, John Constable's The Hay Wain and Diego Velazquez's Rokeby Venus person each been damaged.

The spokesperson said: "Such attacks person caused carnal harm to the artworks, distress to visitors and staff, and disruption to our ngo to guarantee large creation is disposable for everyone, everyplace to enjoy.

"Two of these attacks person happened successful the past 2 weeks and that is wherefore we person taken the hard and unfortunate determination to alteration the mode we run for the foreseeable future.

The assemblage advised visitors to instrumentality "minimal items" with them, and said each bags would beryllium inspected.

It said it was "sorry" to marque this decision, and believed introduction into the depository volition present instrumentality longer.

Van Gogh's Sunflowers was targeted astatine the assemblage which caused harm to the frame, estimated to beryllium worthy £10,000 to £20,000, and paintings, according to authoritative James Bowker.

Three Just Stop Oil supporters, Stephen Simpson, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, Mary Somerville, besides of Bradford, and Phillipa Green, of Penryn, Cornwall, each pleaded not blameworthy to transgression harm astatine Westminster Magistrates' Court past month.

The trio volition adjacent look astatine Southwark Crown Court connected 28 October.

This was soon aft 2 Just Stop Oil activists were jailed for pouring crockery and causing £10,000 worthy of harm successful October 2022 to the framework of Sunflowers by the Dutch artist.

Phoebe Plummer was handed a two-year jailhouse term, portion Anna Holland was sentenced to 20 months.

Two supporters besides glued themselves to Constable's The Hay Wain successful July 2022.

Protesters allegedly smashed the solid protecting the Rokeby Venus, oregon The Toilet of Venus, and caused much than £6,000 of harm successful November 2023.