Are attacks on artwork effective in protesting climate change?

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After throwing mashed potatoes at Claude Monet’s Grainstacks in Potsdam, Germany, the climate protesters each glued a hand to the wall. Courtesy of Letzte Generation.

Talia Lutz, Staff writer
December 16, 2022

In this past year, climate change activists have vandalized historic paintings in an attempt to bring more awareness to the state of our planet. From throwing soup on Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Sower at Sunset to throwing yellow goo at Monet’s Haystacks, organizations like Just Stop Oil, Letzte Generation, and Ultima Generazione are trying to ask our world if art is more important than our dying planet. However, their attacks are costing them serious jail time, and haven’t inspired much support from others. As a result, this raises the question: are these attacks on artwork actually effective in protesting climate change?

Just Stop Oil activists Louis McKechnie and Emily Brocklebank glue themselves to Peach Trees Blossom by Vincent van Gogh at the Courtauld Gallery in London. Courtesy of Kristian Buus.

In my opinion, no, these artworks aren’t all that effective for a multitude of reasons. First, they don’t garner the support of too many in the fight against climate change. According to Yahoo News, 46% percent of people actually had decreased support for the movement after seeing the occurrences. This shows that their methods might not be all that successful. In addition, destroying timeless artwork has no close connection to the actual act of climate change, so many fail to understand the reason for these occurrences. While I do comprehend the message of these protests, art in itself does not harm the planet. Since these methods of activism haven’t been very successful, they only end up putting people in jail and creating additional chaos around climate change instead of fixing anything. As a result, I would say that attacks on artwork are not very effective. 

Protesters from the group Ultima Generazione glue themselves to a wall after throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh’s “Sower at Sunset” on November 4th in Rome. Courtesy of Laura Lezza.

However, that doesn’t mean these nonviolent approaches to protesting world issues can’t be successful. These loud and fearless actions could work if protesters chose to attack something with more connection to climate change. Overall, while these attacks on artwork may not be very successful, the methods of action they are choosing could one day be.  

Works Cited

Adler, Ben. “Activist Attacks on Famous Paintings Decrease Support for Addressing Climate Change, Study Finds.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 2022, https://news.yahoo.com/activist-attacks-on-famous-paintings-decreases-support-for-addressing-climate-change-study-finds-211253929.html. 

Benzine, Vittoria. “Here Is Every Artwork Attacked by Climate Activists This Year, from the ‘Mona Lisa’ to ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’.” Artnet News, Artnet, 23 Nov. 2022, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/here-is-every-artwork-attacked-by-climate-activists-this-year-from-the-mona-lisa-to-girl-with-a-pearl-earring-2200804.