‘What’s worth more, art or life?’ - Climate activists throw mashed potatoes over £96m Monet painting

Climate activists threw mashed potatoes over a Monet painting at an art gallery in Germany, asking shocked onlookers:”Is this what it takes to make you listen?”. The incident broke out at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, where Monet’s Les Meules is on display, on Sunday afternoon.

It saw two young demonstrators from the Letzte Generation (Last Generation) throw mashed potato over the artwork before kneeling in front of it and shouting to visitors. Activist Mirjam Hermann gave a speech as she crouched in front of the painting, which was completed in 1890 and estimated to be worth around £96m.

The 25-year-old said: “People are starving, people are freezing, people are dying. We are in a climate catastrophe. And all you are afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting. Do you know what I’m afraid of? I’m afraid because science tells us we won’t be able to feed our families in 2050. Does it take mashed potatoes on a painting to make you listen?

“This painting is not going to be worth anything if we have to fight for food. When will you finally start to listen? When will you finally start to listen and stop business as usual?”

It is not known if the painting has been damaged or if it was shielded behind protective glass. The incident comes after two activists from Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at London’s National Gallery last week.