They daubed Degas' Dancer: two climate activists face 5 years in prison

They had daubed, last April 27, the display case containing Edgar Degas’ celebrated Dancer at the National Gallery in Washington, causing $2,400 in damage and forcing the museum to remove the work for ten days for repairs. Now at great risk are the two climate activists, both 53, who were responsible for the act. They have in fact been indicted federally, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia charges them with conspiracy to commit a crime against the United States and damage to museum property. The indictment alleges that the two, Timothy Martin and Joanna Smith, along with other unknown persons, conducted research on potential targets identified in the museum, pre-alerted the media (specifically the Washington Post and two of its reporters), and entered the museum with water bottles filled with paint for the purpose of damaging the museum, eventually soiling the display case, the base on which it sits, and the floor.

During the action, Martin and Smith handed over their phones to other accomplices and waited for other visitors who were in the Ballerina Room on the morning of April 27 to clear the area in front of the work. The two then smeared paint on the shrine and base, at times even hitting the shrine hard. In the process, the action was recorded and photographed.

The two activists turned themselves in to authorities on Friday, a Justice Department statement reported. They now face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Wasghinton Territorial Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from the National Gallery of Art Police and the U.S. Park Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Image: Declare Emergency

They daubed Degas' Dancer: two climate activists face 5 years in prison

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