Culture
Climate activists throw flour on car painted by Andy Warhol in Milan
Other activists smashed paint-filled balloons on the floor and glued themselves to the floor surrounding the exhibit
November 21, 2022 7:26am
Updated: November 21, 2022 3:28pm
Climate activists threw flour on a BMW painted by pop artist Andy Warhol in 1979 that was displayed in Milan, Italy over the weekend in the latest protest targeting pieces of art with food.
A video shows around 11 members of the activist group Ultima Generazione, or Last Generation in English, covering the BMW Art Car displayed at the cultural center Fabbrica del Vapore with flour. The BMW looked like it had been covered with a dusting of snow.
Other activists smashed paint-filled balloons on the floor and glued themselves to the floor surrounding the exhibit, according to Italian news outlets.
The car was painted by the pop artist in 1979 after it was used in the 24-hour race at Le Mans in France the same year. The car is one of 20 that the car manufacturer had artists paint.
According to Ultima Generazione, the group carries out nonviolent civil disobedience acts to demand concrete actions against climate change.
“Works of art have been targeted to highlight the hypocrisy of our society's values: do we really get outraged at the simulation of damage to works of art while the ongoing objective destruction of works of nature, ecosystems, and our own lives leaves us indifferent?” said the activist group in a statement.
BMW M1 Art Car
— rocketengine (@rocketengine) November 20, 2022
Andy Warholhttps://t.co/1emEwmtsq0 pic.twitter.com/dcmpJD6yMO
In the past weeks, several activists from the activist group have targeted art exhibitions around Europe. On November four, climate activists threw tomato soup at a van Gogh painting in Rome. On November 15, they also threw black liquid on a piece of art by Gustav Klimt in Vienna.
In all of the cases above, the artwork was not damaged due to the protective glass on top of it.
This weekend’s stunt coincided with the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt, during which delegates from 200 countries discussed several climate-related issues.
“Art is as priceless as it is untouchable,” BMW’s cultural engagement department said in a statement. “It belongs to all of humanity and reflects the great achievements of which each of us is capable. Andy Warhol’s 1979 Art Car is a unique masterpiece and we have no sympathy for a violent attack on the artist’s work defaced for many decades.”
