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Milan, 18.11.
Which exhibit?
In 1975, the French racing driver Hervé Poulain came up with the idea of having his racing car designed by an artist.
BMW turned this principle into a series, the BMW Art Cars – unique specimens that were made into moving works of art.
The fourth artist in 1979 was Andy Warhol, who painted a BMW M1 himself.
Poulain and his colleagues Manfred Winkelhock and Marcel Mignot drove the car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Warhol said, "I love the car.
It turned out better than the work of art.«
In which museum?
Andy Warhol's Art Car is currently on loan in Milan.
A Warhol exhibition with over 300 objects can be seen there in the municipal cultural center Fabbrica del Vapore until March 26th.
Who committed to which action?
Four women from the group "Ultima Generazione" - according to their Instagram appearance Eos, Alice, Martina and Maria Letizia - overcame the barrier around the painted mid-engine car and showered it with 8 kilograms of flour.
What was the rationale?
She appreciates the work of Andy Warhol, one of the activists exclaimed as she was pulled away from the exhibit, she also has symbolic power for the unsustainable use of the earth's resources.
In the caption accompanying a video, the group emphasizes that the car can be cleaned of flour while the lives of those who died because of the climate crisis cannot be brought back.
Where can I watch it?
The responsible group has published two videos on Instagram.
Photo: Flavio Lo Scalzo / REUTERS
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Vienna, 15.11.
Which exhibit?
»Death and Life« is an oil painting by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) that the Austrian artist first exhibited in 1911 under the title »The Fear of Death«.
Klimt made changes to the painting in 1915.
In which museum?
The picture hangs in the Leopold Museum in Vienna's Museum Quarter.
It specializes in Austrian art from the second half of the 19th century and modern times.
Who committed to which action?
On November 15, two activists from »Letzte Generation Österreich« poured a black, oily liquid, which they had carried in a hot-water bottle, onto the painting.
Since it was behind protective glass, the image was not affected.
One of the young men glued himself to the glass.
What was the rationale?
"Stop the destruction of fossils," shouted the two perpetrators, wearing the slogan on T-shirts.
They specifically criticized the Austrian energy company OMV, which sponsored an open day in the building.
“Death or life” is the decision to be made, they chanted, referring to the painting's title.
Where can I watch it?
On twitter
Photo: Unknown / picture alliance/dpa/LETZTE GENERATION AUSTRIA
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The Hague, 27.10.
Which exhibit?
»Girl with a Pearl Earring« is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.
He did not date it, but it is estimated that it was made in 1665.
Vermeer worked in the trading city of Delft during the Dutch Golden Age.
It is not known who the portrayed girl is.
The American writer Tracy Chevalier wrote a novel in which a fictional maid named Griet Vermeer sits as a model.
In the film adaptation of Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Griet is played by Scarlett Johansson, the painter of Colin Firth.
In which museum?
The fact that »The Girl with a Pearl Earring« is probably Vermeer's most popular painting today is thanks to a retrospective of the artist's works, which was shown in 1995 in the Mauritshuis in The Hague and was advertised with the picture.
The Royal Picture Gallery has been on display in the former noble palace on the central Plein since 1822, with a focus on Dutch and Flemish masterpieces from the 17th century.
The »Girl« belongs to the permanent collection of the Mauritshuis.
Who committed to which action?
Three activists, wearing t-shirts identifying themselves as belonging to the Just Stop Oil group, carried out the October 27 protest.
One man taped his head to the protective glass while another man, from Belgium, emptied a red liquid - apparently a Campbell's brand of canned tomatoes - over him.
The third person filmed the performance.
All three were sentenced to two months in prison in The Hague in early November, each with a one-month suspended sentence.
What was the rationale?
The man with the tin can asked the surrounding museum visitors how they felt when something beautiful and graceful was seemingly destroyed before their very eyes.
So will the planet that is being destroyed before our very eyes.
Where can I watch it?
Twitter user Steven Bakker shared the video, which was originally published on Instagram but has since been deleted there.
A clip showing the activists being led away is still available on Instagram user Van Gogh Ying.
Photo: PHIL NIJHUIS / AFP
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Potsdam, 23.10.
Which exhibit?
The French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926) was impressed by the grainstacks he noticed in the fields around the French town of Giverny.
He immortalized her in the paintings in the »Les Meules« series, which he painted between 1888 and 1891.
The »grain stave« thrown here was created in 1891.
In which museum?
The »Grainstack« is one of 38 works by Monet that are in the collection of SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner.
The foundation set up by the art collector exhibits the Impressionism part of his collection in the Museum Barberini in Potsdam.
It is located in the Barberini Palace on the Alter Markt.
The 18th-century building was badly damaged in 1945.
Plattner undertook the reconstruction, and the museum opened in 2017.
Who committed to which action?
Four people affiliated with the Last Generation climate change protest group splattered the Monet painting with mashed potatoes on October 23.
A man and a woman glued themselves next to the painting.
Although the painting itself was not damaged thanks to the glazing and a special felt strip, the museum explained, the historical frame had to be repaired.
In addition, the mush was sprayed onto the adjoining wall and up to below the six-meter-high luminous ceiling.
The resulting property damage amounts to a five-digit sum.
What was the rationale?
The taped activist said: »We are in a climate catastrophe.
And all you fear is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting.”
Where can I watch it?
On Instagram
Photo: Uncredited / picture alliance/dpa/Letzte Generation/AP
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London, 14.10.
Which exhibit?
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) painted four sunflowers in August 1888 to impress his colleague Paul Gauguin upon his arrival at van Gogh's new studio in Arles, southern France.
Three more versions followed in January 1889.
Of the seven sunflower motifs, one was destroyed in Japan during World War II, one is privately owned and five are in museums.
In which museum?
The "Fifteen Sunflowers" on view at London's National Gallery are from the part of the series painted in August.
The picture hangs in room 43, including works by Gauguin and Georges Seurat.
»Sunflowers« was purchased in 1924 with funds from the Courtauld Fund for Impressionist Works donated by Samuel Courtauld.
At first these hung in the Tate Gallery before they were no longer considered modern enough and were passed on to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.
Who committed to which action?
Two activists from the group Just Stop Oil, aged 20 and 21, threw tomato soup from a can of Heinz brand at the painting on October 14.
Then they knelt in front of the artwork and glued their hands to the wall with super glue.
According to the National Gallery, the work itself was undamaged.
Only the frame was slightly damaged.
The painting, which has an estimated value of around 84 million euros, was protected by a pane of glass.
What was the rationale?
“What is worth more, art or life?” asked one of the activists.
She made no specific reference to the picture in question, but to the tomato soup: people affected by inflation would soon no longer be able to warm up such a can.
The government should rather help them than invest in new fossil fuel extraction projects.
Where can I watch it?
The Guardian's environmental correspondent published a video which can be seen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdquzu-BXg .
Photo: Just Stop Oil / picture alliance / dpa / PA Media
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Dresden, August 23
Which exhibit?
The »Sistine Madonna« was created by the Renaissance artist Raffael (1483-1520) on behalf of Pope Julius II for the high altar of the monastery church of San Sisto in Piacenza.
The image of Mary is particularly well-known for the two putti angels at the bottom of the picture.
In which museum?
In 1754, the Saxon Elector Friedrich August II bought the painting from the monks of San Sisto, who used the proceeds to renovate their monastery.
In Dresden, the "Sistine Madonna" was added to the valuable electoral collection, which was then still on display on the Neumarkt.
In 1855 the Semper Gallery at the Zwinger was opened, which still houses the Old Masters Picture Gallery today.
It is part of the Dresden State Art Collections.
Who committed to which action?
On August 23, a 21-year-old and a 28-year-old broke through the barrier in front of the oil painting.
Then they each glued a hand to the gilded frame and unrolled a banner of the group »Last Generation«.
The gallery was cleared after the incident and initially closed.
The State Art Collections filed a criminal complaint, it was determined because of "damage to public property".
The cost of restoring the frame was between 3,000 and 5,000 euros, plus there was a loss of income of 7,000 euros due to the museum being closed.
What was the rationale?
The activist duo said the Sistine Madonna is a powerful symbol: »Mary and Jesus look to the future with fear.
They look forward to Christ's death on the cross.
An equally predictable death will also be the result of climate collapse.
And all over the world!” Saxon Switzerland burned for weeks.
In addition, the two wanted to show solidarity with a Dresden climate demonstrator arrested in Sweden.
Where can I watch it?
The "Last Generation" published a shaky short video of the action on their Twitter account.
Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / picture alliance / dpa
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London, 4.7.
Which exhibit?
The Hay Wain is a large-scale oil painting by the English artist John Constable (1776-1837) first presented at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1821, then entitled Landscape: Noon. .
The scene of the carriage in the River Stour, which at this point marks the border between Suffolk and Essex, was voted the second most popular image in Britain in a 2005 BBC poll.
In which museum?
In 1886 the art collector Henry Vaughan donated the painting, which had previously hung in his living room for 20 years, to the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square.
The National Gallery was founded after the British government bought a collection and has since grown through acquisitions and donations.
Admission is free, »The Hay Wain« hangs in room 34, which also has works by Turner and Gainsborough.
Who committed to which action?
Two members of the group Just Stop Oil, formed in February 2022 - Hannah Hunt, 23, and Eden Lazarus, 22, both from Brighton - taped themselves to the painting's frame on July 4.
Previously, the two constables had given the landscape an apocalyptic reinterpretation, showing streets, smoking factory chimneys and airplanes.
What was the rationale?
Taped to the frame, Lazarus gave a short speech, saying he wanted to work in the world of art and not break it.
Pictures like »The Hay Wain« are cultural heritage.
But what sense does art have if the existence of billions of people is threatened by the consequences of climate change.
Hunt told the press that England's "green and lovely bottom" could be forgotten if continued oil production led to crop failures and food struggles.
Where can I watch it?
Just Stop Oil released a video of Eden Lazarus' speech.
Photo: Kirsty O'Connor / picture alliance / empics
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Paris, 30.5.
Which exhibit?
The »Mona Lisa«, which Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) presumably painted in the early 16th century, is probably one of the most famous paintings in the world.
In the artist's home country of Italy, the picture is called »La Gioconda«, meaning the cheerful one.
It probably represents Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant;
but there are different theories.
In which museum?
Leonardo probably sold the work to the French king, which brought it to Fontainebleau, then Versailles, and finally the Louvre.
The former Paris city palace of the French crown became a public museum after the revolution.
In 1911, Leonardo's painting was stolen by an Italian craftsman.
In 1913 he was caught trying to sell it in Florence.
After exhibitions in Italy, the »Mona Lisa« was then returned to the Louvre, where it remains one of the main attractions to this day.
Who committed to which action?
A young man dressed as an old lady feigned a walking disability to access a wheelchair in the Louvre.
As a wheelchair user, he was allowed to stand in front of the crowd of spectators around the »Mona Lisa«, whose glass protection he tried to destroy.
When that didn't work, he smeared a cake on it.
What was the rationale?
When the perpetrator was overpowered, he threw rose petals into the exhibition room and shouted, "Think of the earth, there are people who are destroying the earth.
All artists, think of the earth!« The 24-year-old from a Paris suburb was first taken to a psychiatric clinic, where it was to be determined whether he could be taken into custody.
He made a confused impression.
Where can I watch it?
Although the attack itself was not documented, visitors recorded the cake-covered pane, the cleaning work and the transport of the perpetrator.
Photo: Lukeee@lukexc2002 / picture alliance/dpa/PA Media
