National Gallery Director Calls Just Stop Oil Protests“A Sad Thing”

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Gabriele Finaldi, who has served as director of the National Gallery in London since 2015, has characterized the Just Stop Oil environmental protests targeting artworks at the institution as“a sad thing.” In a new profile published by The Telegraph, Finaldi suggested that the group's activism was misguided, specifically criticizing actions taken between 2022 and 2024.

During this period, the National Gallery was the site of three prominent Just Stop Oil demonstrations. Activists controversially splashed liquids on two van Gogh paintings and attacked the display case of a Velázquez work. While no lasting damage was caused to the paintings themselves, Finaldi described these attacks as“very shocking.”

Finaldi stated:“The pictures are not guilty. The activists were seeking front-page coverage for their cause. They know that to attack a painting gets you front-page coverage across the world, while breaking the windows of an insurance company probably doesn't.” He further added:“People may have legitimate reasons to promote a particular cause. What I would say is: 'Don't come to the National Gallery to do it.'”

One notable incident occurred in 2022 when two Just Stop Oil activists threw what appeared to be tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers ( 1889 ), a masterpiece in the National Gallery's collection, and then glued themselves to the work. This protest reportedly caused approximately £10,000 in damage, primarily to the painting's frame, and the two activists subsequently received prison sentences. Although the group formally ceased its protests in 2025 after the UK adopted a new climate policy, other activist groups staged similar demonstrations at various venues, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Louvre in Paris, following the initial 2022 event.

The Telegraph profile also covered Finaldi's views on the contentious relationship between the National Gallery and the Tate museum network. Historically, a formal agreement has limited the National Gallery's presentations to art made before 1900, with the Tate museums exclusively handling modern and contemporary art. Both institutions are managed by the British state. However, with the National Gallery undertaking a significant expansion that includes space for post-1900 art, Finaldi has expressed frustration with this agreement and aims to challenge it. He noted:“The 20th century is already present in the National Gallery's collection.” Finaldi further explained:“We and the Tate are both part of the great national collection, and this would lead to a slight increase in the overlap of our collections. But we tell the stories in different ways, and the 20th century is quite a big century.”

Source: ARTnews

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