Climate activists throw tomato soup on Van Gogh's 'Sunflower' painting in London

The activists, who then glued themselves to the wall of the museum, were arrested, the museum said.

It also confirmed that the painting is unharmed but there were some minor damages to its frame.

The activists belonged to a group called 'Just Stop Oil', which wants the UK government to stop investing in oil and gas.

“Human creativity and brilliance is on show in this gallery, yet our heritage is being destroyed by our Government’s failure to act on the climate and cost of living crisis,” Just Stop Oil said on Instagram. “Why are we protecting these paintings when we are not protecting the millions of lives that will be lost due to climate and societal collapse?"

"What is worth more, art or life? Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of the painting, or the protection of our planet and people?" one of the activists said after they glued themselves to the wall.

"The cost of living is part of the cost of the oil crisis," she said.

"Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup. Meanwhile, crops are failing. Millions of people are dying in monsoons, wildfires, and severe droughts. We cannot afford new oil and gas. It is going to take everything we know and love," she added.

It is still unclear why the group chose the Van Gogh painting in particular to demonstrate their protest.

For the unversed, Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.

In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life.