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Swedish court acquits climate activists who splashed paint on monet painting
A Stockholm court has acquitted six environmental activists who were prosecuted after splashing paint on the protective glass covering a Claude Monet masterpiece, ruling that they did not intend to damage the art itself. The incident occurred on June 14, 2023, when two young women smeared red paint on the glass shielding The Artist’s Garden at Giverny (1900), which had been loaned by the Musée d’Orsay to Sweden’s Nationalmuseum for a special exhibition on gardens and nature.
The action was claimed by the group Återställ Våtmarker (“Restore the Wetlands”), which later published a video of the protest. In the footage, the activists highlighted the urgency of the climate crisis and its impact on human health.
The Monet painting suffered no harm, as confirmed by the director of the Musée d’Orsay the day after the incident. Nonetheless, the two women and four additional participants were charged with vandalism. The court ultimately dismissed the charges, concluding that the activists’ goal was to deliver a climate-related message, not to damage cultural heritage. They will not be required to pay any damages.
