After Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting incident, two climate activists targeted a Claude Monet painting at the Musee de Beaux-Arts in Lyon, France, on Saturday afternoon. The painting, titled Le Printemps (Spring) and created in 1872, became the unfortunate victim of the activists' demonstration.
The environmental activists, identified as Ilona and Sophie, affiliated with the group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response), carried out their protest by splashing soup on the Monet masterpiece. Despite the painting being protected by glass, the museum informed Le Monde that it would still need to undergo a thorough inspection and restoration process.
The Musee de Beaux-Arts expressed its intention to file a complaint for vandalism against the protestors, who were subsequently arrested following the incident. This act of defiance echoes a similar action earlier this year when members of Riposte Alimentaire threw soup at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Paris.
A video of the Lyon event posted by Riposte Alimentaire captured the protestors' message, emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change. "This spring will be the only one we have left if we don’t react," they proclaimed. "What will our future artists paint? What will we dream of if there is no more spring?"
On their website, Riposte Alimentaire reiterated their love for art but emphasized the dire consequences of environmental neglect. "Our future artists will have nothing left to paint on a burned planet," the group declared. "They will no longer dream in a world of multiple conflicts. We still have a choice. We must wake up and resist."
Lyon’s mayor, Grégory Doucet, acknowledged the protest, expressing both regret and support for the museum staff. "Faced with the climate emergency, anxiety is legitimate," Doucet stated. "We respond to it with resolute action."
Riposte Alimentaire is part of the A22 movement, a coalition of protest groups advocating for environmental sustainability. This coalition includes Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, whose members have previously engaged in similar acts of protest within museum settings.
This incident follows previous instances of climate activism targeting artwork, such as the flinging of mashed potatoes at the painting Meules (Haystacks) in Germany and the smearing of red paint on Monet's The Artist’s Garden at Giverny in Stockholm. These actions underscore the growing urgency of addressing climate change and its profound impact on global ecosystems.
