Last Friday, July 22, the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence, one of the most important museums in Italy, was the scene of controversy when 2 activists from the environmental movement “Ultima Generazione” (Trans: Last Generation) glued their hands to “the Spring” by Botticelli.

The group of activists, made up of 2 women and 1 man, bought their tickets to the museum on a regular basis, and once they found themselves in front of Botticelli's work, two of them used instant glue to glue their hands to the protective glass of the work , and with the help of the third member, they stretched out a banner with the phrase “Ultima Generazione, No Gas, No Carbone” (Trans: Last Generation, No Gas, No Carbon).

The activists were removed by the Carabinieri Arms, the Italian armed forces with powers to protect cultural and heritage assets. The activists now face charges for the crime of interruption of a public service, resisting a public official, unauthorized demonstration and destruction of property.

For its part, the work, which is more than 5 centuries old and one of the most famous Renaissance pieces in the world, did not suffer any damage; the activists only touched the protective glass of the work. They declared that during the planning of their protest they consulted the advice of art restorers to avoid damaging the work.

"In the same way that we protect our artistic heritage, we should dedicate our care and protection to the planet we share," stated the Ultima Generazione official site. They also mentioned that this protest is the first of several that will be taking place in museums.

With information from El Universal and The Guardian.