Museum Leaders Are 'Deeply Shaken' as Climate Activists Toss Black Liquid on Painting in Latest Art Attack

Art museum directors are speaking out as another masterpiece is targeted by climate change activists.

On Tuesday, a protestor threw black liquid on the 1915 painting "Death and Life" by Gustav Klimt at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, Austria, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

Another person also glued themselves to the painting's protective frame, per the reports.

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Germany said in a statement last week that museum directors are "deeply shaken" by the recent actions taken by the climate activists as they look to draw attention to their cause by targeting internationally-acclaimed artwork.

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"The activists responsible for them severely underestimate the fragility of these irreplaceable objects, which must be preserved as part of our world cultural heritage," ICOM said in its Nov. 9 statement.

A group called Last Generation Austria has confirmed on Twitter that its activists were behind the stunt. The organization said the goal was to raise awareness around "oil and gas drilling," which they said is "a death sentence" for humans, per the AP.

Letzte Generation Oesterreich/AP/Shutterstock

Tuesday's protest is the latest in a string of similar events at museums across the world, with activists targeting priceless pieces such as "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer, "Grainstacks" by Claude Monet, "The Sower" by Vincent van Gogh, "Massacre en Corée" (Massacre in Korea) by Pablo Picasso and more.

Other groups such as Just Stop Oil and Ultima Generazione have helped organize these efforts. In July, Ultima Generazione said the protests pale in comparison to the ongoing climate crisis.

"Many criticize our actions because 'we should leave museums in peace,' " the organization wrote on social media at the time. "Maybe they don't understand that the inconvenience we created is nothing compared to 1 billion climate migrants and to the many deaths that the climate crisis is causing already."

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LETZTE GENERATION ÖSTERREICH/AFP via Getty

Hans-Peter Wipplinger, the director of the Leopold Museum, told Austria Press Agency that "attacking works of art is definitely the wrong way to implement the targeted goal of preventing the predicted climate collapse" despite their legitimate climate concerns, according to the AP's latest report.

Andrea Mayer, Austria's culture minister, shared similar sentiments. "I do not believe that actions like these are purposeful, because the question arises whether they do not rather lead to more lack of understanding than to more awareness of the climate catastrophe," Mayer said, per the outlet.

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"From my point of view, accepting the risk of irrevocable damage to works of art is the wrong way to go," she continued. "Art and culture are allies in the fight against climate catastrophe, not adversaries."

In the meantime, ICOM said members will do all they can to assure that museums are "a free space for social communication" where various individuals can comfortably "engage in dialogue."

"In this sense, the core tasks of the museum as an institution – collecting, researching, sharing and preserving – are now more relevant than ever," the organization said in its statement.