What Took So Long?

The National Gallery has announced a raft of increased security measures after protesters attacked paintings including Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, John Constable’s The Hay Wain and Diego Velázquez’s The Rokeby Venus. From Friday morning there will be a ban on bringing into the London gallery any liquids except for baby formula, expressed milk or prescription medicines. All doors into the gallery will have walk-through metal detectors, bags and rucksacks will be inspected, and visitors have been asked to bring as few items as possible, and no large bags.

Rather 'shutting the stable door after the horse is well over the horizon' but I guess better late than never.

Also banned from the gallery premises are “displayed or wearable paraphernalia deemed as offensive or affiliated to organisations that pose a physical threat to the collection”, as well as the distribution of any campaign materials.

Should probably add 'multi-hued dyed hair' to that... 

The gallery said it was sorry that visitors were “not going to receive the welcome we would very much like to extend to them, but we hope that they understand why it is necessary for us to do this”.

Anyone who doesn'tmust surely have been living under a rock... 

In response to the letter, a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil told the Art Newspaper: “If the NMDC believes the biggest threat they face is nonviolent protest, they should speak to the staff that are now sleeping in Florida’s Salvador Dalí museum after their houses were destroyed by a supercharged hurricane.”

Just Stop Oil and Youth Demand have since proposed a meeting with the National Gallery’s director, and promised to “leave the soup at home”.

Let me plan the meeting! No tea and coffee, no biscuits, and their chairs poised to drop them into a tank of hungry sharks!