Climate activists attack Gustav Klimt's painting in Austria

CAIRO – 17 November 2022: Climate activists in Austria have attacked Gustav Klimt's painting "Death and Life", with one throwing a black oily liquid on it and another sticking himself to the glass covering the painting.

Members of what is known as the Last Generation climate activists tweeted that they had targeted the 1915 painting "Death and Life" in Vienna's Leopold Museum to protest their government's use of fossil fuels.

After the liquid was spilled on the undamaged artwork, one of the activists was pushed away by a museum guard while another activist taped his hand to the glass above the painting. The activists said they were protesting against "oil and gas exploration," what they described as a "death sentence to society."

In a video of the incident that the group posted online, one of the activists is heard shouting: "We've known about the problem for 50 years. We must finally act, or the planet will break."

After the attack, the police arrived at the museum and the black liquid, which the activists had brought in a hot water bottle under their clothes, was cleaned from the protective glass, the Austrian News Agency reported.

The museum's restoration team later said that although the painting itself was undamaged, the damage to the glass and security frame, as well as to the wall and floor, was "obvious and significant".

Hans-Peter Weiblinger, director of the museum, told the Austrian Press Agency that climate activists' fears are well-founded "but attacking works of art is certainly the wrong way to carry out the intended goal of preventing the expected climate collapse." He implored the group to find other ways to voice their concerns.

The Austrian minister of culture also expressed his understanding of the "concerns as well as the desperation" of the activists, but criticized the form of their protest.