Climate Change is real, the deterioration is real, and the damage caused by activists spreading awareness is just as detrimental. They sure know how to get the world’s attention, whether by gluing their head to Johannes Vermeer’s iconic ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ painting at The Hague’s Mauritshuis museum or spraying orange paint on a Rolex store in London, they stop at nothing. The ideas are authentic, and so are the executions but is harming one masterpiece to save another justified? Only a few days ago, members of Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) threw roughly 18 pounds of flour at a BMW art car painted by Andy Warhol at the cultural center Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, per Art News.
The incident propelled the country’s cultural minister to implement a rise in prices after activists threw flour on the artistic Warhol-painted BMW. Adnkronos, an Italian publication, reported, “The continuous attacks and outrages that increasingly occur to the detriment of our artistic and cultural heritage require us to rethink and reinforce the level of protection [in museums],” the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said in a statement. “[These actions] lead us to take immediate measures, starting with covering all the paintings with glass barriers.”
He added, “Considering the enormous heritage to be protected; the intervention will represent a considerable cost for the coffers of the ministry and of the entire nation. Unfortunately, I can only foresee an increase in the cost of the entrance ticket.” The Italian minister did not specify which museums will implement these changes to protect their artworks, including the addition of glass barriers.
