Is art vandalism the solution?

While issues related to climate change and war need to be highlighted, attempts to do so by defacing artworks appear ill-advised.

Last month, when soup cans were hurled at Vincent Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting at London’s National Gallery, it generated a lot of outrage.

Fortunately, the painting had a glass front and did not suffer any damage. This act was soon followed by mashed potatoes being thrown at a Claude Monet painting at the Museum Barberini, in Germany. While issues related to ecological conservation, climate change and war are of immediate concern and must be tackled on an urgent basis, attempts to highlight these by defacing and destroying artworks appear ill-advised. No doubt it fetches enormous amounts of publicity for the act, and notoriety for those involved in the vandalism, but often public support remains divided and one is unsure if it directly leads to any constructive action for the said cause.

In both of these recent incidents, the paintings were protected by glass fronts, which saved them from permanent damage. However, with an increase in such incidents, it makes one wonder if, in the near future, all artworks in every museum and gallery will have to be similarly safeguarded. Apparently, the activists clarified that paintings that are protected with glass were selected for this act of protest and to draw attention to the impending food crisis and the fragility of natural resources and the environment — hence the use of tomato soup and mashed potatoes as symbols of food crisis.

Acts of protests against art and culture are not new. There are several instances when paintings, statues and books, among other cultural artefacts have been either completely destroyed or partially damaged.

From political and ideological differences to environmental concerns, famous artworks have been targeted to make a point. This year, John Constable’s renowned painting ‘The Hay Wain’ suffered minor damage when the same activists from Just Stop Oil, stuck large sheets of paper on it with scenes of a dead landscape. Interestingly, news reports later pointed out that one of the protesters arrested had been yachting across the globe, leaving behind miles of carbon footprint, while claiming to be raising awareness on climate change! The Mona Lisa, which is one of the most valuable paintings in the world, has a long history of being targeted in various ways, despite elaborate security measures. Rather, because of the several attacks on the work, the security system around the painting has been enhanced over the years. Tracing its checkered history over the years, one finds that the painting was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and was discovered two years later when attempts were being made to sell it to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Years later, in 1956, somebody threw a rock at the painting, while it was on display at the Louvre (it was reinstated there in 1914).

Creating boundaries

The impact was such that it shattered the glass case and even removed a bit of paint from the work. Since then, bulletproof glass has been used to shield the painting from any further attacks. However, in 1974, while the painting was on display at the Tokyo National Museum, in an act of protest, a woman sprayed it with red paint to highlight the lack of access for disabled people. In 2009, a Russian woman threw a ceramic teacup that was ironically purchased at the Louvre itself — she was apparently distressed over being denied French citizenship. And, recently, earlier this year, a cake was thrown at the painting by a male activist, to raise awareness about climate change.

Acts such as these, even if they emerge from valid causes and are deployed as strident calls for urgent action, may not garner adequate support from the public or the policymakers.

They, in fact, undermine efforts to make museums more accessible to all and to create community-specific programming that can bridge the gap between audiences and artworks. Attempts to destroy artefacts of art and culture, heritage and of historical significance will only create more walls and boundaries that will make them more inaccessible and remove them from our public spaces.

The author is a Bengaluru-based art consultant, curator and writer. She blogs at Art Scene India and can be reached at [e-mail]

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