Paris, France – An environmental activist was taken into custody after placing an adhesive poster on a famous Monet painting at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris as a statement on climate change, according to police sources.
The activist, affiliated with the group Riposte Alimentaire, a collective advocating for sustainable food production, was captured on video covering the painting “Coquelicots” (Poppies) by Claude Monet with a blood-red poster. In the footage, she expressed concerns about the potential consequences of inaction in addressing the climate crisis.
Monet’s artwork, depicting individuals with umbrellas strolling through a blooming poppy field in 1873, was left unprotected by glass during the incident. The Musée d’Orsay has yet to provide a statement on the condition of the painting following the incident.
Riposte Alimentaire has been linked to several similar acts of protest involving attacks on iconic works of art to emphasize the urgent need for climate action. These actions included soup-throwing incidents at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and another Monet painting, “Springtime,” at the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts earlier this year.
In a separate event, members of the activist group recently distributed flyers around “Liberty Leading the People,” a painting by Eugène Delacroix housed in the Louvre. Additionally, two members were apprehended at the Musée d’Orsay in April on suspicion of planning a similar demonstration there.
The incident at the Musée d’Orsay highlights the growing trend of activists using art as a platform to raise awareness about pressing environmental issues and the need for immediate action to combat climate change. Authorities are urging for peaceful and lawful means of protest to convey messages effectively without damaging cultural heritage sites or artworks.