There has
been a growing movement of acts of vandalism to works of art. In November there
was an attack on Van Gogh’s painting The Sunflowers at London’s National
Gallery by a group called Just Stop Oil. Similar cases have been reported in
other museums in Europe in recent months. In response to this wave of
environmental activism, the Reina Sofía National Art Museum in Madrid has
decided to reinforce security for Pablo Picasso’s best-known work, Guernica.
The focus is on plainclothes policemen, since the painting is not protected by
glass and is therefore an easier target to hit. At a time when the Spanish
Ministry of Culture is advising extreme security measures, the
Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum is following suit. It should be noted that
Picasso’s work is an oil painting, created in 1937, and is considered to be a
symbol of peace and one of the most famous paintings by the Spanish artist.
