A climate activist who supposedly stained paint on a case Around the sculpture “The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years” by the 19th century French artist Edgar Degas in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC was accused.
Joanna Smith, 54, of Brooklyn, New York, received 60 days in prison of a possible maximum sentence of five years for defacing the historic statue, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, said. said in a statement.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered Smith to serve 24 months of supervised release and 150 hours of community service, 10 hours of which must include graffiti removal.
Smith also paid restitution for damage to the Degas sculpture and was banned from the nation’s Capitol and all museums and monuments for two years.
CLIMATE ACTIVISTS CHARGED FOR PAINT STAINS IN NATIONAL GALLERY DEGAS SCULPTURE CASE
Joanna Smith and her accomplice sit after smearing paint on the case housing Edgar Degas’ The Little Dancer of Fourteen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. (Ellie Silverman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Smith, along with other accomplices, traveled to Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2023, and allegedly targeted the sculpture, the prosecutor’s office said.
The two allegedly smuggled the paint in plastic water bottles and had other conspirators film them smearing the paint on the base and clear casing, while sometimes forcefully striking the priceless, approximately 143-year-old work of art. on their phones, according to the release.
Joanna Smith and her accomplice smear paint on the case housing Edgar Degas’ Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Ellie Silverman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
According to the government’s evidence, Smith, along with other co-conspirators, created video statements explaining their intentions.
ACTIVISTS VANDALIZE SCOTLAND’S BRAVEHEART MONUMENT IN CLIMATE PROTEST
They also alerted two Washington Post reporters who arrived and took photographs of the vandalism.
Joanna Smith and her accomplice sit in front of Edgar Degas’ The Little Dancer of Fourteen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Ellie Silverman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The April 27 incident caused $4,000 in damage and forced staff to remove “Little Dancer” from the galleries for 10 days to make repairs, according to the statement.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crimes Team, with assistance from the National Gallery of Art Police and the United States Park Police.
