The announcement was made on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside updated changes to the official website with clarifications on these ‘increased security measures’. Customers have been warned to expect to walk through metal detectors and have bags checked thoroughly. The National Gallery is expectant of how visitors may respond to this and has apologised in advance as accessing the exhibitions is expected to take much longer than before.
Above all, the National Gallery has asserted its main goal is to ‘ensure the safety of all who visit, National Gallery staff and the Nation’s collection of paintings.’
Responses to the statement were met with a mixture of support, criticism, and questions about procedures going forward, with one comment pointing out that there is ‘no other way to stop this barbarism’, referencing the actions of protestors towards historic pieces. When one person asked for examples of threats to safety, the museum responded that out of the five attacks, two had happened in the last 14 days which had ‘caused physical damage to the artworks, distress to visitors and staff alike, and disruption to our mission to ensure great art is available for everyone, everywhere to enjoy.’
Targets of attack have included Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Perpetrators, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland from Just Stop Oil, were jailed last month for causing £10,000 worth of damage to the frame (which was also valued at £28,000) when they flooded two tins of Heinz tomato soup on the classic 1888 painting. In addition to this, John Constable’s The Hay Wain and Diego Velazquez’s Rokeby Venus have also been selected in an attempt to raise awareness for protestors’ demands. The National Gallery hopes these new security measures will prohibit any further incidents from taking place.
