- Attack on the painting at the Naval Museum: the reason for the protest
- Activists reduced and expelled from premises
- Visible damage: whitish varnish and pigment on the canvas
- The PP takes the case to Congress: battery of questions to the government
- Government response: technical report, cost and on-site restoration
- Conviction, security and denunciation: actions after the attack
Attack on the painting at the Naval Museum: the reason for the protest
It was his way of attract attention about him “climate collapse”and also protest against the “colonial” narrative of the Naval Museumcoinciding with the National holiday and the commemoration of the discovery of America and against a chart which represents the Columbus Expedition land on the first Caribbean island that he found during his journey to try to find the Indies to the west.
Activists reduced and expelled from premises
THE two activists they ended up being reduced And expelled from the premiseslocated in the same building as Naval Headquarters.
He Naval Museum mobilized urgent to your team of restorersand also to employees and the museum now military.
In total, one twenty people he worked hard clean with water THE red paint and try avoid irreversible damage inside chart.
Two days after the incident, Marguerite Robles visited the museum to thanks for the work of the restaurateurs and all those who participated in this operation. Already at the time, the museum celebrated that the painting had been savedbut I suffered Shame that they would need a complete restoration.
Our large team of professionals works on the #NationalHolidaysin the repair of the painting “First tribute to Christopher Columbus”, by José Garnelo.
The Naval Museum will continue to proudly display the pages of Spanish history written from the sea. pic.twitter.com/12rJEQvVtk
– Naval Museum (@Museo_Naval) October 12, 2025
Visible damage: whitish varnish and pigment on the canvas
He varnish remained whitish because of the water which was used to clean the red paintthis is why the box now offers different brightness.
pigment particles were introduced in certain points of the cloth what he painted Jose Garnelo at the end of 19th century.
🖼️ Despite what happened, the painting seems to have been restored again in @Naval_Museum and, from #Navywe will always proudly show who we are and our heritage.
🇪🇸 In the #HispanicDay We reaffirm our commitment to the culture, history and values that unite us. https://t.co/hv8ydcLotb pic.twitter.com/8P9pK4qQLT
– Armada (@Armada_esp) October 12, 2025
The PP takes the case to Congress: battery of questions to the government
He incident aroused the interest of Popular Parliamentary Group inside Congress of Deputies. three deputies (Borja Semper, Eduardo Carazo And María Soledad Cruz-Guzmán) presented a battery of questions At Government about the consequences of this paint attackand about the measures that they were going to adopt the Naval Museum and the Ministry of Defense For restore the frameFor avoid new incidents and for take action against the perpetrators.
Digital Confidentiality consulted the answerdate November 25that the Government of Pedro Sánchez given to those parliamentary questions.
Government response: technical report, cost and on-site restoration
He Executive explained the damage caused to the works which “A detailed technical report on the damage is being prepared”.
He explained that he is being observed superficiallyafter the emergency response, “that the spilled substance affected the varnish already at different layers of oil paintin addition to dye the pores of the original fabric.
He added that “once the aforementioned technical report has been completedyou can evaluate the restoration cost ».
The protest is upsetting.
When the powerful devastate lives, communities, species and territories, quiet ways may not be enough.
Protests that interrupt the usual are a cry: “Enough!” » pic.twitter.com/QBNURKuG0B
– FuturoVegetal🍒 (@FuturoVegetal) October 21, 2025
He Government revealed in this written response that “in situ restoration is currently being evaluated”that is to say in the room of the Naval Museum in which it is exhibited. And after the emergency cleaning stains red paintthe museum returned to hang the photo in your usual location.
in this room “There is enough space to work properly” in the thorough restoration of the Shame which we still see in chart.
This option, which restaurateurs work in the same room through which they pass visitors, “this would highlight the restoration work”.
Due to the dates the response was written, Government “The work is still on display in his living room.but limited to the public.
Already in December Digital Confidentiality verified that there were no dimensions. And you could still see them remains of the protest action of the environmentalists. Under the painting, the wall was still colored with red paint splash.
Conviction, security and denunciation: actions after the attack
In the written response of the Government At PP deputies inside Congress you can also read this “The Government condemns this type of attack against works of art which make up the historical and artistic heritage of our society and they contribute little to the realization of the environmental or social improvement objectives that they could pretend to be them.
He Executive seems to exclude a protective reinforcement against this type of act vandals for ideological reasons: “The Naval Museum already applies security and conservation measures consistent with the regulations in force in matters of protection of historical heritage kept in museums state property ».
Finally, he reports that “the museum director filed the corresponding complaint before the competent police stationhaving therefore already started the police and judicial actions opportune for the clarification of facts and counting on full collaboration of the Ministry of Defense in anything that could be useful to resolution of the procedure.
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