A climate activist who smeared red and black paint on the pedestal and enclosure of an Edgar Degas ballerina sculpture in 2023 was found guilty on Tuesday (8 April) of “conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States” by a federal jury. Timothy Martin of Raleigh, North Carolina, and another affiliate of the environmentalist group Declare Emergency targeted the sculpture La Petite Danseuse de quatorze ans (Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1880), a fixture at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
According to the Department of Justice, Martin and his accomplice, Johanna Smith, caused $4,000 in damage with their protest, and caused the closure of the gallery containing the Degas sculpture for ten days while repairs were conducted. Smith had previously pleaded guilty to "causing injury" to the exhibit and was subsequently sentenced to 60 days in prison, 24 months of supervised release and order to pay over $7,000 in restitution and fines.
The pair's actions did not directly damage the Degas sculpture. In an interview with USA Today, Martin emphasised the symbolic nature the protest, stating that the Degas was “protected so I could apply paint to the case without damaging the sculpture but all the children of the world are not protected because of climate change”.
In an executive order on 28 March, US President Donald Trump called on on federal and district officials to work to make Washington “safe and beautiful”. The order promised to “deploy a more robust Federal law enforcement presence” in combating “graffiti and other vandalism, unpermitted disturbances and demonstrations” in the US capital.
“This verdict sends a strong message to the thousands of people who come to DC each year to demonstrate and be heard,” US Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr said in a statement. “Free speech is a constitutional right. But when you take action, such as destroying property like priceless pieces of art, you are crossing a line that no one in this city will condone.”
Martin's sentencing has been set for 22 August.
