Climate activist throws paint on Picasso painting at Montreal museum

By Canadian Press on June 19, 2025.

MONTREAL — A climate activist group says one of its supporters sprayed pink paint this morning on a Pablo Picasso painting at a Montreal museum.

Last Generation Canada says an activist smeared washable paint on the 1901 painting L’hétaïre at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The group is calling for the Canadian government to create a climate disaster protection agency to help those affected by extreme weather.

Montreal police say one person was arrested for mischief after the incident and was released with a promise to appear in court at a later date.

The museum says the painting was kept under protective glass and there were no immediate signs of damage to the painting itself, which is on loan from a gallery in Italy.

The activist group says it has also targeted the Montreal casino and the BMO Museum with pink paint in recent weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.

The Canadian Press