Francesca Kolar has successfully prosecuted two Just Stop Oil protestors who threw tomato soup onto Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ painting.
Today Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland have been found guilty of criminal damage, following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, when they threw two tins of Heinz tomato soup at one of the most sought-after pieces of artwork in the National Gallery and the world, ‘Sunflowers’, by the late 19th century artist Vincent Van Gogh on 14th October 2022.
The priceless artwork was not damaged, but actual damage was caused to the 17th Century Italian frame which housed the painting. The frame was a piece of art in itself, and the tomato soup acted as a paint stripper on such a delicate antique frame.
The case has attracted a significant amount of media coverage. See here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51y99yrj49o.
The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.
Francesca Kolar is ranked in the Legal 500 2024 as a Rising Star for Crime.
This week on Halloween we scared ourselves by reading judges’ comments on the late provision of skeleton arguments and on when and if remote hearings are appropriate; and considered a case involving Thomas Cook Airlines, reaching out from beyond the grave and seeking orders concerning…
Dominique Smith, instructed by Keith Barrett of Fieldfisher Solicitors, represented the family of Emily Lewis in this inquest. Emily suffered fatal injuries when the RIB she was in collided with a buoy in Southampton in August 2020. During the inquest, the Coroner raised concerns with…
On 21st November 2024, Daniel Searle and Conor Kennedy will be joined by Saleem Khalid in a webinar discussion of the Building Safety Act 2022, with a particular focus on: Those interested in attending are welcome to submit questions on the topic in advance of…
Deka Chambers: 5 Norwich Street, London EC4A 1DR