Uffizi, environmental activists attach images of Campi Bisenzio flooding to glass of Botticelli's Venus

In the early afternoon, two Ultima Generazione activists entered the Uffizi and, once in front of Botticelli’s Venus, taped images of last fall’s Campi Bisenzio flooding to the work’s protective glass, using scotch tape. Florentine museum staff ushered visitors out of the room, turned off the lights and closed the room; carabinieri stopped the two activists. No damage was reported to either the painting or the protective glass.

This is not the first time environmental activists have broken into the Uffizi: in fact, in July 2022 three young men had glued themselves to the glass of Botticelli’s Primavera. “Is it possible nowadays to see a Primavera as beautiful as this one?” the activists had written in a note.

Today’s gesture was accompanied instead by these words from Last Generation: “We taped images with paper tape on the glass of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus of the Campi Bisenzio flood photos last fall to demand a Reparation Fund for the damage of these climatic catastrophes. We are back in action despite the precautionary measures and the risk of going to jail for violating them. We are back in action because it is the right thing to do.”

The work was covered, explains Last Generation, “with images of the reality in which we are sinking, increasingly frequent floods and landslides creating damage to homes, schools, hospitals and roads on the one hand, unimaginable droughts on the other.” “Today’s act, namely posting the images with paper tape, will be defined as a crime,” Ultima Generazione continues, “the new Ecoproteste law, provides for up to 6 months in prison.”

Uffizi, environmental activists attach images of Campi Bisenzio flooding to glass of Botticelli's Venus

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