On April 27, 2023, Martin and his companion Joanna Smith entered the Washington Museum and smeared black and red paint on the glass case protecting the sculpture “Little Dancer at the Age of Fourteen” to draw attention to the climate crisis.
The sculpture by impressionist Edgar Degas is one of his most famous works and a major attraction at the museum because of the incident, the piece was removed from the exhibit for ten days while repairs were made to the case.
Timothy Martin, a member of the environmental activist coalition Declare Emergency, was found guilty on April 8 of conspiracy to commit a crime against the United States and damaging an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, the Justice Department said.
U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. said in a statement. “Free speech is a constitutional right. But when you take actions like destroying property like priceless works of art, you cross a line that no one in this city will tolerate.”
In an interview with USA Today, Timothy Martin said the sculpture was not intentionally damaged:
“The sculpture represents all the children of the world. Because it is protected, I could only apply paint to the body without damaging the sculpture. But all the children of the world are not protected because of climate change,” said the eco-activist.
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