LONDON – Animal rights activists pasted a cartoon image onto a portrait of King Charles III on Tuesday at a London art gallery, the latest in a series of incidents at U.K. museums as activists use vandalism to publicize their causes.
A group called Animal Rising shared a video of activists pasting an image of a character named Wallace, from the comedy series “Wallace and Gromit,” over the king’s head.
The so-called “comic redecoration” was designed to highlight an investigation that, according to Animal Rising, found widespread violations of animal husbandry rules on farms approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A speech bubble next to Wallace’s head read: “No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!”
The painting is protected by a plastic sheet and has not been damaged, according to the Philip Mold Gallery, where it is on display.
Jonathan Yeo’s grandiose painting was unveiled last month and is the first portrait of Charles to be completed since he ascended the throne in 2022. Captures the king in shades of red with his hands crossed over the hilt of his sword and a butterfly flying above his right shoulder.
The portrait was commissioned to commemorate Charles’ 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, which was set up more than 600 years ago as a trade association for wool merchants but is now primarily a philanthropic organisation.
On May 10th, two Protesters against climate change attacked the protective glass case that houses an original copy of Magna Carta in the British Library. The 800-year-old document, seen as one of the foundations of Western democracy, was not damaged.
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