Venice, Giorgione's Tempest damaged during action by militant environmentalists

Giorgione’s The Tempest, a masterpiece of the Venetian Renaissance, sustained damage after two activists glued their hands to the glass and frame of the work and then let themselves fall to the ground as security staff intervened. This was announced by the management of the Accademia Galleries in a note. The action of the militant ecologists took place yesterday at 11:45 a.m. in the room where Giorgione’s Tempest and the Old Woman are exhibited along with other masterpieces of the Venetian sixteenth century: the two young women conducted their action right near the paintings.

“Unfortunately, this was not a nonviolent demonstration, as read in the activists’ proclamations,” said the director of the Galleries, Giulio Manieri Elia. “Damage was, in fact, done to the special anti-reflective glass that protects the Tempest and to the frame of the painting, which required the intervention of our restorers. In addition, the affected room, one of the most important in the entire museum, was closed for a full two days to allow the restoration work to take place, causing discomfort and protests from visitors who came from all over the world to admire Giorgione’s masterpieces.”

“While experiencing real concern about the conditions in which the planet finds itself and while hoping for appropriate interventions to reverse the trend,” says Manieri Elia, “we feel compelled to condemn without appeal the modalities of the protest and wish to invite everyone to calm and thorough reflection.” The action did indeed cause damage to the museum’s property, “required economic and personnel interventions to restore the hall, and caused severe inconvenience to blameless visitors,” Manieri Elia continues. However, “this is not the most serious and worrying aspect,” says the director. “In fact, the behavior of the protesters put at risk the safety of the works of art on display, on which only specialized and specially trained personnel should intervene, with all the necessary precautions. Approaching and touching important paintings with hands smeared with glue, letting oneself fall to the ground in an uncomfortable manner a few centimeters from the works at the moment when the supervisory personnel act compromises the safety of the artistic heritage. If one engages in such irresponsible behavior, the likelihood of irreparable damage to masterpieces that constitute the heritage of humanity and are common property is high.”

“Endangering the safety of works of art does not save the planet and, in our opinion, does not put a noble cause in a good light,” Manieri Elia concludes. “Therefore, we would like to make a heartfelt plea to the perpetrators of these actions to never again jeopardize the artistic heritage or harm the work of cultural institutions. We remain available, at any time, for open and thorough confrontation, as long as it is truly civil and nonviolent.”

Venice, Giorgione's Tempest damaged during action by militant environmentalists

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