Climate Activists Glue Their Hands to Francisco de Goya's Paintings at Prado Museum in Spain

Shafiq Najib
·2 min read
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Climate Activists Glue Their Hands to Francisco de Goya's Paintings at Prado Museum in Spain

Two artworks by the famous Spanish painter Francisco de Goya were the latest target in a series of demonstrations by activists around the world to raise awareness of climate change.

On Saturday, two activists from the campaign group Futuro Vegetal glued their hands to Goya's paintings at Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain in a clip shared by Europa Press news agency on Twitter.

The man and woman involved in the protest can be seen attaching themselves to Goya's "La Maja Vestida" (The Clothed Maja) and "La Maja Desnuda" (The Naked Maja) with a sign that read "+1.5 C" painted on the wall between the artworks.

RELATED: Climate Activists Arrested After Protestor Glues Their Head to 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' Painting

"Last week, the UN recognized the impossibility of keeping us below the limit of 1.5 Celsius (set in the 2016 Paris climate agreement). We need change now," the activist group wrote in Spanish on their Twitter account alongside a clip from the protest, according to a translation provided by Reuters.

Per the outlet, two people had been arrested as a result. The paintings were not damaged, and the graffiti was painted over immediately.

"We condemn the use of the museum as a place to make a political protest of any kind," the museum gallery said, Reuters reported.

This handout picture released by Extinction Rebellion environmental movement on November 5, 2022 shows two activists glued by a hand to the frames of two paintings by Spanish master Francisco Goya at the Prado museum in Madrid. - The protesters scrawled "+1,5°C" on the wall between the two artworks in reference to the Paris Agreement target of capping warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Both activists were detained, police said. (Photo by Extinction Rebellion / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Extinction Rebellion" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by -/Extinction Rebellion/AFP via Getty Images)

Extinction Rebellion/AFP via Getty

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Saturday's protest is the latest in a string of similar actions in which climate protesters have glued themselves to artwork, hoping to bring attention to climate change.

Last week, two activists were arrested by German police after they allegedly threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam.

Earlier in October, two climate activists shocked guests at London's National Gallery when they threw two cans of tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting. The work was painted by Van Gogh in the late 1880s and is one of six surviving works depicting sunflowers by the famous artist, per The New York Times.

RELATED: Climate Activists Throw Tomato Soup on Vincent Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' at London's National Gallery

The demonstrations around the world by activists have increased ahead of the GOP27 climate change in Egypt, starting Sunday.