Three individuals have been charged in connection with an incident at the National Gallery where soup was thrown at two Van Gogh paintings. Stephen Simpson, 61, from Bradford, West Yorkshire; Phillipa Green, 24, of Penryn, Cornwall; along with Mary Somerville, 77, also of Bradford, are set to face Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, as confirmed by the Metropolitan Police.
The episode comes after other supporters from Just Stop Oil were jailed for damaging another Van Gogh artwork, with the group tweeting under a newly adopted name: “BREAKING: 2 VAN GOGH PAINTINGS SOUPED HOURS AFTER PHOEBE AND ANNA SENTENCED.”
The tweet went on to describe how “3 Just Stop Oil supporters have thrown soup over 2 of Van Gogh’s paintings in the ‘Poets and Lovers’ exhibition at the National Gallery”. Following the gallery disturbance, the National Gallery stated that despite the attack, the art pieces were intact.
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They issued a statement detailing the event: “At just after 2.30pm this afternoon, three people entered room six of the National Gallery Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition. They appeared to throw a soup-like substance over two works – Sunflowers (1888, National Gallery, London) and Sunflowers (1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art).”
Noting the response, the statement explained: “Police were called and three people have been arrested.”
Fortunately, following inspection by conservators, the renowned paintings emerged undamaged: “The paintings were removed from display and examined by a conservator and are unharmed. We are aiming to reopen the exhibition as soon as possible.”
Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were jailed on Friday after inflicting up to £10,000 worth of damage to the golden frame of an artwork at London’s National Gallery.
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