Fossil fuel protesters throw tomato soup on Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' in London gallery

Anti-fossil fuel protesters threw soup over Vincent van Gogh's famous 1888 painting "Sunflowers" at London's National Gallery on Friday.

Two young women from the campaign group Just Stop Oil threw the contents of two tins of Heinz tomato soup over the painting, which, the group said, has an estimated value of $84.2 million.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the National Gallery confirmed the incident in Room 43, where "Sunflowers" was displayed, and gave an update on its condition.

"There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed," it said. In a subsequent tweet, the gallery explained that the painting was glazed and therefore protected.

London's Metropolitan Police confirmed they were responding to the incident and that the protesters had been arrested on suspicion of "criminal damage and aggravated trespass."

Friday's incident is the latest in a series of protests targeting famous works of art in a bid to draw attention to the role of fossil fuels in climate change. In July, members of Just Stop Oil glued themselves to a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" at the Royal Academy of Art in London.

The same month, activists from the group glued themselves to a masterpiece held in the National Gallery, while members of an Italian climate activist organization glued themselves to Botticelli's "Primavera" in Florence.

On Sunday, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion were arrested for gluing themselves to Picasso's "Massacre in Korea" at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.