Three Just Stop Oil supporters have denied damaging Vincent van Gogh paintings, a court has heard.
It comes after two versions of the Dutch master’s famous Sunflowers, on display at the National Gallery in London, were hit by soup on Friday.
The artworks were targeted shortly after two Just Stop Oil protesters were sentenced on the same day for pouring tins of tomato soup on a Sunflowers painting at the same gallery in October 2022, in a separate incident.
Stephen Simpson, 71, and Mary Somerville, 77, both from Bradford, and Phillipa Green, 24, of Penryn, Cornwall, all pleaded not guilty to criminal damage at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Prosecutor James Bowker told the court the trio entered the Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition at the art museum in Trafalgar Square at around 2.30pm on Friday.
Simpson and charity worker Green threw soup at one of the Sunflowers paintings, while retired teacher Somerville threw soup onto another version of the artwork a short distance away on the same wall, the court was told.
The trio then took off their coats to reveal T-shirts which said “Just Stop Oil”, the prosecution added.
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Neither painting itself was damaged, Mr Bowker said.
But the prosecutor said damage was caused to the two frames, including an antique owned by the National Gallery. The antique frame, which has an estimated worth of £10,000 to £20,000, would “likely require lengthy restoration”, Mr Bowker said.
Mr Bowker told the court that the value of the other frame, on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was “unknown, but likely to be in a similar range”.
He said damage to the artworks would have a “serious social impact”, adding the Sunflowers “are loved by millions of people around the world and in the UK”.
Raj Chada, defending, said the damage to the frames had not been assessed yet.
He added: “There was no damage to the paintings whatsoever. They have been covered by a very thick protective glass screen.”
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The incident on Friday happened after two Just Stop Oil activists were jailed for causing up to £10,000 worth of damage to the frame of one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the gallery in October 2022.
Phoebe Plummer, 23, received a two-year jail term, while Anna Holland, 22, was ordered to serve 20 months after they were found guilty of criminal damage in July.
District Judge Minhas bailed Simpson, Somerville and Green on the condition that they do not enter the Greater London area, except for pre-arranged court appearances.
The activists will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on 28 October.
