Dresden (dpa/sn) – Two climate activists used one of the most famous pictures from the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden for an action on Tuesday. According to a spokeswoman for the group “Last Generation”, the two each glued a hand to the frame of Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna”. “The work of art itself was not damaged, only the non-historical frame,” said Anja Priewe, spokeswoman for the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD), on request. Restorers would now inspect the damage and repair it promptly. The gallery was initially closed after the incident and all visitors had to leave the building.
The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing against the two activists. Details could not be given yet, a spokesman said. It is still unclear whether a complaint will be made.
For the action, the 21 and 28-year-old activists first got over the barrier in front of the oil painting from 1512/13, which is a good four meters high and almost three meters wide. An alarm went off and security guards cleared the showroom.
The action should make it clear that the climate catastrophe can no longer be ignored, said the spokeswoman for the activist group. “Everything we hold dear will be destroyed by the climate catastrophe.”
This year, the climate activists of the “last generation” have already blocked hundreds of streets nationwide. In Leipzig and Dresden, among other places, activists stuck to the streets and obstructed traffic. The activists are demanding that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) do more to expand renewable energies.
