The painting was behind protective glass, but the frame received a permanent stain.
The district court concludes that the defendants did not intend to cause any more damage than could be remedied by washing off the protective glass or using acetone. The court also does not believe that the activists were indifferent to the risk of paint getting on the picture frame.
It was June 14 two years ago that two women dipped their hands in paint and glued themselves to the glass protecting the Monet painting “The Artist's Garden at Giverny” at the National Museum. The painting was on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
The women who carried out the action belonged to the group Restore Wetlands. They were charged, along with four other people, with vandalism.
The six have admitted to participating in the action but deny committing a crime. They claim that they acted in distress due to the climate threat and that the action falls within the freedom of demonstration. Since the painting was behind protective glass and was not damaged, apart from a small stain on the frame, it is believed that the intention was not vandalism.
Per Hedström, former acting superintendent at the National Museum, has told Magasin K that the museum's opportunities to borrow art in the future may be affected.
