KLIMT MASTERPIECE “DEATH AND LIFE” ATTACKED AT THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM BY MEMBERS OF CLIMATE-ACTIVIST GROUP “LAST GENERATION”

21.11.2022

On Tuesday, 15th November, shortly after 11 am, the Leopold Museum became the target of an attack by climate-activist group “Last Generation” (“Letzte Generation”). Two activists threw black liquid onto Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece Death and Life (1910/11, reworked in 1912/13 and 1915/16), before one of them glued himself to the glass protecting the painting’s frame. A first assessment by the museum’s team of art restorers revealed that the artwork and its original frame, designed by Josef Hoffmann, were not harmed. The damage done to the glass and protective framing, as well as to the wall and floor, however, is evident and significant. The police and one ambulance arrived on the scene within minutes and took down the activists’ personal data.

The Leopold Museum’s Director Hans-Peter Wipplinger commented:

“While the concerns of climate activists like those of the ‘Last Generation’ are justified, attacking works of art is definitely the wrong way to reach their goal of preventing the predicted collapse of our climate. Museums are places of preservation and as such are prime examples of sustainability. Art helps to establish identity; preserving, restoring, documenting and exhibiting works of art to an interested public are essential tasks of any museum institution, which we are passionate about. Museums are places of communication and discourse aimed at imparting our cultural heritage and securing it for future generations.”

Hans-Peter Wipplinger called upon “Last Generation” activists to find other ways of making their climate-critical appeals heard, ones that do not deter a broad public but allow them to become fellow campaigners for their valid concerns.

Please address any queries to:

Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung
Mag. Klaus Pokorny and Veronika Werkner, BA
Press/Public Relations
0043 1 525 70 - 1507 and 1541
presse@leopoldmuseum.org
www.leopoldmuseum.org

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