Hands with glue on a world-famous painting 'pretend'... "We must protect the Earth like a masterpiece"

No Damage to Artwork... Similar Environmental Protests Continue at European Museums

The protest site by the environmental group Ultima Generazione at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Photo by Ultima Generazione website capture, Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] An Italian environmental group staged a surprise protest by pressing a hand coated with adhesive against Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece.

On the 22nd (local time), according to the British daily The Guardian, two activists from the Italian environmental group 'Ultima Generazione (Last Generation)' carried out a protest at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence by pressing a hand coated with adhesive against the glass protecting Botticelli's work 'Primavera (Spring)'.

At the same time, they displayed a banner reading "Ultima Generazione, No Gas No Carbone" (Last Generation without gas and coal). Another activist assisted by holding the banner beside them.

They were arrested by the police after the protest. The museum stated that the protest did not cause any damage to the artwork.

On the day, Ultima Generazione released a statement saying, "Can we still see a beautiful spring like this artwork today? Fires, food crises, and droughts are making it increasingly difficult," and added, "We decided to use art to sound the alarm."

They also mentioned that they consulted with art restoration experts beforehand to prevent any damage to the artwork.

Furthermore, they appealed, "We are heading toward social and climate-ecological collapse," and "Just as we cherish and care for our artistic heritage, we must strive to protect the Earth we share with other worlds."

Meanwhile, Ultima Generazione is known to have been influenced by the group 'Insulate Britain,' which staged large-scale protests in the UK last September by gluing their hands to roads.

At that time, Insulate Britain blocked roads such as the M25 motorway and Dover port in the UK. The protesters demanded that the government insulate all homes by 2030. They argued that improving home insulation could increase energy efficiency by regulating natural gas, oil, and indoor temperatures, thereby preventing radical climate change.

Earlier this month, the UK environmental group Just Stop Oil also carried out similar protest activities.

Just Stop Oil staged protests by applying glue to their hands and sticking them under a replica frame of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa,' among other actions, claiming, "We hope the art world will join us in addressing the climate crisis."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.