Two women have appeared in court charged with criminal damage to the frame of Vincent van Gogh’s painting Sunflowers.
Two tins of tomato soup were thrown over the painting at London’s National Gallery on Friday, although the gallery later said the painting itself was undamaged and had been put back on display.
Anna Holland (20), of Westgate Road in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Phoebe Plummer (21), of Elms Road in Clapham, south London, appeared before Westminster magistrates’ court on Saturday.
Painted in 1888, the Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery is one of five versions on display at museums and galleries around the world.
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Friday marked the 14th day of “continuous disruption” by environmental protest group Just Stop Oil. The action is expected to last for more than a month.
The Met said a total of 28 arrests were made in relation to demonstrations in central London on Friday.
Lora Johnson (38), of Keens Lane, Reydon in Suffolk, who is charged with criminal damage to the main sign outside New Scotland Yard, also appeared at the court.
The well-known sign was covered with yellow paint, and demonstrators also blocked the road in front of the building.
The other 25 people have been bailed pending further inquiries, police said.— The Guardian
