Climate activists target Monet's Les Meules with mashed potatoes at Museum Barberini, prompting closure

On Sunday, activists from the Last Generation group threw mashed potatoes at Claude Monet's 1890 painting Les Meules at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany. The artwork, part of the Hasso Plattner Collection, was protected by glass and sustained no damage. Protesters wore fluorescent jackets and glued their hands to the wall after the action. In a social media statement, the group declared that targeting art with food items like mashed potatoes or tomato soup is necessary to remind society about fossil fuels causing widespread death. The museum initially planned to reopen the painting later in the week but announced on Monday it would remain closed until October 30 to evaluate security risks for the collection. Director Ortrud Westheider noted that this incident and previous attacks, including one on Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers at London's National Gallery, reveal inadequate international security standards against activist threats. The Van Gogh protest occurred a week earlier when Just Stop Oil activists threw tomato soup at the 1888 painting. Philosopher Tom Whyman recently questioned on artreview.com whether destroying art could be justified given the climate crisis, arguing that art is implicated in environmental disaster regardless of intent.