Two Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, both 22, have been found guilty of criminal damage for throwing soup at Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting.
The incident took place at the National Gallery in London, where the pair also glued their hands to the wall beneath the artwork.
Although the painting was protected by glass, the gallery reported damage to its gold-colored frame during the October 2022 protest.
Judge Christopher Hehir, at Southwark Crown Court, warned the two to prepare for potential prison time, with sentencing set for 27 September. He highlighted how close they came to destroying one of the world’s most valuable paintings.
Bail conditions prevent Plummer, from Clapham, and Holland, from Newcastle, from carrying glue or adhesive materials in public and from visiting museums or galleries. Last week, the same judge sentenced five other JSO activists to prison terms ranging from four to five years.
