In the Austrian capital Vienna, climate activists have defaced the well-known work ‘Death and Life’ by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt with a black liquid. The Leopold Museum, where the masterpiece hangs, announced this on Tuesday.
The group ‘Letzte Generation’ (‘Last Generation’) has meanwhile announced on Twitter that it is behind the action.
“After an initial inspection by our restoration team, we are pleased to report that neither the painting nor the original frame has been damaged, as the work is covered with a large protective glass,” said Hans-Peter Wipplinger, director of the museum, in a statement. response.
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He continues: “The concerns of climate activists, such as those of the last generation, are legitimate, but attacking works of art is definitely the wrong direction to pursue the stated goal of preventing the predicted climate collapse. Museums are conservation institutions and in that sense an excellent example of sustainability. Art creates identity. Preservation, restoration, documentation and presentation are among the essential tasks of museum institutions. Museums are a place of meeting, of conversation, but also a place of enjoyment and reflection, an antidote to the hectic pace of everyday life.”