Tomato soup “acted like paint stripper” on the antique frame of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers when it was hurled at the masterpiece in a Just Stop Oil protest, a court has heard.
Eco-activists Anna Holland and Phoebe Plummer are accused of emptying the contents of two cans of soup onto the front of the artwork as it hung in London’s National Gallery.
A glass screen protected the painting itself, jurors at Southwark crown court have been told, but it is alleged the 17th Century Italian frame was damaged.
Isabella Kocum, who works as a frame conservator at the gallery, told the court she was involved in the aftermath of the protest, including the removal of the soup and assessing the damage.
“I was shocked and dismayed as to the extent of the corrosion the tomato soup was causing to such an exquisite and antique frame,” she said.
“Even once the majority of the soup had been removed, I was alarmed to see the remainder was still acting like a paint stripper in front of my eyes.”
The Court heard that Plummer and Holland went to the gallery on October 14, 2022 while posing as ordinary visitors, and headed to the room which houses the Sunflowers painting.
It is alleged that when a space had cleared around the painting, they took off their jackets to reveal ‘Just Stop Oil’ T-shirts, threw the contents of two tins on tomato soup at the painting, and then proceeded to glue their hands to the walls.
Pictures and videos of the stunt were quickly uploaded to the protest group’s X, formerly Twitter page, leading the prosecution to term it a “publicity stunt”.
The defendants deny criminal damage, and dispute that the frame was affected in the incident.
Ms Kocum, in her statement, said the frame had been “specifically chosen for the Van Gogh painting because of its matching colouration”, while prosecutor Francesca Kolar told jurors it was similar to the frames Van Gogh himself used to manufacture.
“I remain amazed at how corrosive the soup was to the frame,” added Ms Kocum.
It is alleged the yellow ochre surface of the frame was damaged by the application of the soup, which was left “spattered” over the glass front to the painting and dripping down on to the frame and wall below.
Judge Christopher Hehir, who is overseeing the trial, told jurors that evidence in the case, particularly around climate change, will be “constricted”.
“The position in law is that the motivation of either defendant and their convictions about climate change – however sincerely held – are not a defence to the allegation they face,” he said.
“It is not a defence to say I did it in pursuit of my sincerely held belief.”
Plummer, from Clapham, and Holland, of Newcastle, deny criminal damage. The trial continues.
