Three charged with criminal damage after soup thrown at Van Gogh paintings

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Louise Thomas

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Three people have been charged with criminal damage after soup was thrown at two Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery on Friday.

Stephen Simpson, 61, of Bradford, West Yorkshire; Phillipa Green, 24, of Penryn, Cornwall; and Mary Somerville, 77, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said.

It comes after Just Stop Oil activists poured soup over two Vincent Van Gogh paintings just hours after other members of the group were jailed for damaging the gold frame of the artist’s Sunflowers.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Just Stop Oil said: “BREAKING: 2 VAN GOGH PAINTINGS SOUPED HOURS AFTER PHOEBE AND ANNA SENTENCED.

“3 Just Stop Oil supporters have thrown soup over 2 of Van Gogh(‘s) paintings in the ‘Poets and Lovers’ exhibition at the National Gallery”.

The National Gallery confirmed on Friday the three activists had been arrested and the paintings remain undamaged.

A statement said: “At just after 2.30pm this afternoon, three people entered room six of the National Gallery Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition.

“They appeared to throw a soup-like substance over two works – Sunflowers (1888, National Gallery, London) and Sunflowers (1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art).

“Police were called and three people have been arrested.

“The paintings were removed from display and examined by a conservator and are unharmed.

“We are aiming to reopen the exhibition as soon as possible.”

Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were jailed on Friday after causing as much as £10,000 worth of damage to the artwork’s gold-coloured frame when they targeted it at London’s National Gallery.