The stunt, to which Van Gogh’s work ‘The Sower’ fell victim, was carried out by four women from the group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) who shouted slogans condemning global warming and fossil fuels.
"These issues should be on the front pages of the news channels and political agendas every minute but are instead only addressed with 'scandalous' actions like the one this morning," the group said in a statement.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries will gather in Egypt next week for the COP27 climate change conference as pressure for tougher action to tackle global warming grows.
The Sower is part of an exhibition at the historical Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome's city centre.
The painting, on loan from the Kroeller-Mueller Museum in the Netherlands, was protected by a glass screen and did not suffer damage, exhibition organiser spokeswoman Camilla Talfani said.
"We were expecting it, (there has been) no damage but it is a useless gesture," said President and Managing Director of Arthemisia, the organisation at the helm of the exhibition, Iole Siena.
"We had been expecting it even before the show opened, and we had had several meetings with Carabinieri and museum chiefs.
"We stopped everyone from bringing in bags and backpacks, and for that reason they could only do very little."
Iole went on: "When the protesters got up close to the work one of them took out a little tin can she had hidden down her trousers.
"Nothing bad happened to the picture and the girls then glued themselves to the wall under the painting with superglue. We didn't even close the show, but only the room, because the restorer had to assess possible damage. The frame will have to be cleaned, and the room will probably reopen this evening.
"These are demonstrative stunts that I condemn with the greatest severity, even though they are useless gestures. They even told the media they were going to do it.
Van Gogh's 'The Sower', the work targeted in the stunt. (Photo: ANSA)
"Luckily up till now they have only targeted works protected by glass but some copycat might emulate them with unprotected works and cause serious damage. These are blatant stunts that don't achieve anything and damage themselves in the collective consciousness."
The three young women who carried out the attack are set to be cited for damaging the cultural patrimony.
Climate change protesters threw soup over Van Gogh's painting Sunflowers at London's National Gallery last month, only causing minor damage to the frame.
― With AAP.
