After news of superyachts being vandalized, comes another art attack from the French environmental activist group Riposte Alimentaire (‘Food Counterattack’). The climate warriors targeted the iconic ‘Poppy Field’ by Claude Monet, affixing to the precious painting an apocalyptic vision of the same scene. Talk about making a point—climate activists demonstrate it like no one else! This action was the group’s way of showing the world the impending doom and misery that awaits us in the year 2100 if fields are left ravaged by flames and drought because climate change isn’t tackled pragmatically. The incident took place at Musée d’Orsay, which attracts hordes of tourists every year for the love of renowned Impressionist works.
An activist from the Riposte Alimentaire group was arrested for slapping the sticker, which was ripped off her jacket, onto the 1873 painting. “This is what Claude Monet probably would have painted in 2100 if no radical action was taken to curb climate change by then,” the group further stated in an Instagram post. The incident drew outrage on social media, even among those who share climate concerns. One user commented, ‘This does nothing to help the climate. It just makes people dislike environmentalists.’
Art enthusiasts or not, several people were shocked at the blatant disrespect for great artwork in the name of protests. A user questioned, ‘Why aren’t these people being arrested and charged with crimes?’ It was unclear whether the incident damaged the painting, but this isn’t the first time a renowned artwork has been targeted. According to the Daily Mail, in January, two members of the group were arrested after throwing soup at the Mona Lisa before shouting climate slogans at the gathered crowd at the Louvre Museum in Paris. It is time they understood that any publicity is not good publicity.
Earlier this week, eco-activists in Barcelona defaced David Geffen’s $400 million superyacht, the 453-foot-long Rising Sun, with buckets of black paint.
