Climate activists from the group Last Generation have thrown mashed potatoes at Monet’s Les Meules which was sold at auction in 2019 for $110,747,000 (£97.4m).
The two protestors through the potatoes at the painting from the artist’s famed Haystacks series and its golden frame, claiming that “This painting is not going to be worth anything if we have to fight over food.”
The two then took to glueing themselves below the exhibition before saying: “Does it take mashed potato on a painting to make you listen?”
According to the German news agency dpa, however, in videos of the protest, only two protestors can be seen throwing the food at the classic painting and glueing themselves to the wall beneath it.
❗️So-called eco-activists from Letzte Generation (Last Generation) threw mashed potatoes at Claude Monet "Les Meules" painting at the #Potsdam Barberini museum in #Germany.
The iconic artwork was sold for $110million in 2019.
Presumably, the painting was protected by glass. pic.twitter.com/zePcadjM58
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 23, 2022
The Barberini Museum has said that the painting was covered by glass so no damage has been done to the French founder of impressionist painting’s masterpiece.
This comes soon after Just Stop Oil carried out a similar stunt with two members of the group throwing soup over Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers masterpiece, demanding the government halt all new oil and gas projects.
They have also glued themselves to the wall of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, where the painting is hung behind glass.
Among the most famous still life pieces ever created, Sunflowers has an estimated value of $84.2 million.
In a statement, the National Gallery confirmed the painting is unharmed, while there has been minor damage to the frame.
Phoebe Plummer, 21, from London said: “Is art worth more than life? More than food? More than justice?
“The cost of living crisis is driven by fossil fuels—everyday life has become unaffordable for millions of cold hungry families—they can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup.
“Meanwhile, crops are failing and people are dying in supercharged monsoons, massive wildfires and endless droughts caused by climate breakdown.
“We can’t afford new oil and gas, it’s going to take everything. We will look back and mourn all we have lost unless we act immediately.”