Climate activist arrested after defacing Monet’s Poppy Field in Paris museum

The action at the Musee d’Orsay is the latest carried out by protesters

A protester standing next to Poppy Field by Claude Monet at the Orsay museum Photograph: Riposte Alimentaire via AP
A protester standing next to Poppy Field by Claude Monet at the Orsay museum Photograph: Riposte Alimentaire via AP

An environmental activist was detained Saturday after sticking a protest sign to a Monet painting in Paris’ famed Orsay museum.

It was the latest of several actions by protesters with the group Food Riposte to target artworks in France in calls for action to protect food supplies from further damage to the climate. The museum, known in French as the Musee d’Orsay, is a top tourist destination and home to some of the world’s most-loved Impressionist works.

Imagine it being impossible to grow potatoes and carrots in Ireland because of climate change, and this would just be the startOpens in new window ]

The activist targeted “Poppy Field” by Claude Monet, affixing a sticker that covered about half the painting with an apocalyptic, futuristic vision of the same scene. The group said it’s supposed to show what the field would look like in 2100, “ravaged by flames and drought,” if more action isn’t taken against climate change.

The woman was detained pending investigation, according to Paris police.

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It was unclear whether the incident damaged the painting. The museum did not respond to requests for comment. - AP