Europe is the theater of punch operations on the part of environmental activists who attack works of art in museums, to raise public awareness of the impacts of fossil fuels. Here, museums and art galleries are reacting with caution and calling for collaboration rather than confrontation.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
Even though museums have always sparked off such stunts, Quebec institutions are not standing idly by. In Quebec, the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (MNBAQ) has developed a series of protocols allowing it to react quickly if such an event occurs.
“The current situation forces our security teams to review these protocols and to be particularly vigilant,” says Linda Tremblay, head of press relations at the MNBAQ. We are ready for any eventuality. The acts of vandalism on the masterpieces of world art challenge us, and this, independently of the claims. »
PHOTO JUST STOP OIL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two Just Stop Oil activists threw soup on The sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery in London on October 14.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) says it is showing increased vigilance in the current context. Moreover, backpacks must be left in the cloakroom, and this, since the inauguration of the exhibition At full volume – Basquiat and music. At the Musée d’art de Joliette, no bags are allowed in the rooms and controls have been tightened at the entrance.
What do you think of this type of action?
At the McCord Stewart Museum, CEO Suzanne Champagne “of course” supports the cause of ecology. “We have implemented a very active sustainable development action plan,” she says. But it is considered that the gestures made in these museums are mainly stunts that generate strong press coverage for a day or two, but tend to overshadow the real objective behind these gestures. »
PHOTO PHIL NIJHUIS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Police stand guard outside the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands, shortly after two environmental activists raided near the painting The girl with the pearlby Johannes Vermeer, on October 27.
The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) is also sorry for these actions. “While we can recognize some of the issues raised, we disagree with these tactics,” says Denise Siele, Senior Communications Manager at the NGC. The intentional plundering of works of art robs society of our ability to appreciate why these works were created and how art, in all its forms, can promote the betterment of the human condition. »
As for the galleries, it is hard to see how activists could attack works by local artists. “That would be completely missing the mark,” says gallery owner Hugues Charbonneau.
Artists are among the most vulnerable people in society. Their average income for the sale of works is $1500 per year. To attack these people, I would not understand.
Hugues Charbonneau, gallery owner
PHOTO TENZIN HEATHERBELL, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Two Last Generation activists stuck to the truss supporting a dinosaur skeleton, at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, on October 30.
Like Hugues Charbonneau, gallery owner Pierre-François Ouellette does not understand why we are attacking community works. “Museums are social actors, not just keepers of the past,” he says. They are aware of current issues. They heard the recriminations to ward off disturbing patrons [comme au MET de New York, avec la famille Sackler]. They have integrated environmental criticism. It is sad that museums are targeted. »
“We can still rejoice in the fact that these actions were carried out on works protected by glass,” adds Jean-François Bélisle, director of the Musée d’art de Joliette. There seems to be some awareness. At the same time, activists should know that social demands often start from the artistic milieu. So doing it at their expense is nonsense. »
The Musée d’art de Joliette will have, in the fall of 2023, a season entirely devoted to environmental subjects. “We invite ecologists to work with us,” says Mr. Bélisle. Let’s use the museum’s megaphone for their cause. Not against each other. The ones with the others. »
Bernard Landriault, co-founder of the Grantham Foundation for Art and the Environment, shares this position. He finds the stunts made in Europe inadequate. “You have to convince people through the arts and not by making aggressive gestures,” he says. This morning, we received a group of 13 young scientists specializing in the environment. We told them that we needed to work together, for example by presenting their work supported by works of art. It is together that our two actions take on more meaning. »
The recent blowouts
On October 14, tomato soup was thrown by two environmental activists on the glass plate protecting The sunflowers by Van Gogh, at the National Gallery in London. On October 23, mashed potatoes were thrown by two other activists on the window covering millstones, by Claude Monet, at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Germany. Four days later, two activists stuck near the masterpiece The girl with the pearl by Johannes Vermeer, at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands. Last Sunday, at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, two activists glued themselves to the frame of a dinosaur skeleton. These operations against works give ideas, as we saw on Monday at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, where an individual sprayed red liquid on the window of the canvas Clown of Toulouse-Lautrec.