Climate activists glue themselves to Botticelli masterpiece in Italy

Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera (about 1480), one of the most famous paintings in Florence’s Gallerie degli Uffizi, is said to have been unharmed by climate activists who glued themselves to the work. A man and two women from the climate activist group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) participated in the protest on July 22. All three were hauled away by security personnel, though it is unknown if the protesters have been charged.

A representative for the gallery claims that the demonstrators stuck themselves to the glass that encased the artwork, which required 20 minutes to clean after the glue incident. The painting “would have been terribly destroyed if there hadn’t been the special protection glass—something that museum administration put in place with all important masterpieces a few years ago.” The “Last Generation: No Gas, No Coal” banner was also unfurled by the protesters.

The protest comes after a number of comparable events at significant museums and galleries in the UK. Environmentalists from the Just Stop Oil movement glued themselves to the famous Constable painting The Hay Wain (1821) at the National Gallery in London earlier this month. Other targets included the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, the Manchester Art Gallery, and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.