by InTrieste
Climate protesters glued themselves to Botticelli’s celebrated Primavera painting at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence on Friday morning in front of shocked tourists, Italian media reports. One of the protesters is a Trieste local.
The ‘Ultima Generazione’ activists glued their hands to the work which was painted by the Italian Renaissance painter in the late 15th century and is considered among the most popular paintings in Western art.
The pair, a woman from Trieste and a man from Voghera, with the aid of a third activist, then unfurled a banner that read “Ultima Generazione No Gas No Carbone” as they protested against the climate crisis.
Triestina Laura Zorzini, 27 years old, told Il Piccolo that “it is what’s needs to be done to attract attention. I am shocked that people just don’t seem to care. Also, we made sure not to ruin the painting.”
The Uffizi confirmed that there was no damage caused to the masterpiece, thanks to the glass that protects the work, reports Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
All three activists were removed from the gallery and face charges of interrupting a public service, resisting a public official, staging an unauthorised demonstration and defacing property, reports La Repubblica.
The incident at the Uffizi follows a recent case at the National Gallery in London where protesters from Just Stop Oil (JSO) attached their own “apocalyptic vision of the future” to Constable’s masterpiece Hay Wain before glueing themselves to its frame.
Ultima Generazione said on Friday that they intend to carry out further protests soon in museums in Florence, Venice, Milan and Rome, reports news agency ANSA.
Twats.