If you want to destroy world-famous art, you should at least make it count

were environmental protesters arrested on Friday for throwing tomato soup at Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers Painting in the National Gallery in London. Luckily the painting was covered by a protective pane of glass and only the frame suffered minimal damage.

The two young women represented the group called Just Stop Oil on their t-shirts, whose mission is to halve Britain’s consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. “Are you more concerned about protecting a painting or protecting our planet and our people?” one of the women asked while literally taped her hand to the gallery wall.

Damage to astronomically valuable works of art in protest against political and social problems is nothing new. It’s a surefire way to get people’s attention. They will surely make a lecturer ruffle their beret in anger.

Of course, the risk with protests within an art museum is that the protest itself is perceived as a work of art – and in many ways it is. What is a protest if not political theater? Growing up with two parents who taught art schools, I’ve criticized more than enough lengthy discussions about art of all kinds. So, without further ado, taking what I learned from those formative experiences, here are my critiques of various art vandalism protests, based on effectiveness, creativity, and effort.