A climate activist who would have coating of paint on a case The sculpture “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” by 19th-century French artist Edgar Degas, located at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., was indicted.
Joanna Smith, 54, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 60 days in prison of a maximum possible sentence of five years for defacing the historic statue, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., 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 involve cleaning up graffiti.
Smith also paid compensation for damage to the Degas sculpture and was barred from entering the nation's capital and all museums and monuments for two years.
Climate activists accused of smearing paint on Degas sculpture display at National Gallery
Joanna Smith and her co-conspirator sit after painting the display case that houses Edgar Degas' Fourteen-Year-Old Little Dancer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. (Ellie Silverman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Smith, along with other co-conspirators, traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2023 and allegedly targeted the sculpture, the attorney's office said.
The two men allegedly smuggled paint into plastic water bottles and had other conspirators film them smearing paint from the base and clear casing, while sometimes forcefully hitting the priceless artwork, approximately 143 years old, on their phone, according to The Version.
Joanna Smith and her co-conspirator smear paint on the case that houses Edgar Degas' Little Dancer, Age Fourteen, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Ellie Silverman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
According to evidence provided by the government, Smith, along with other co-conspirators, created video statements explaining their intent.
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They also alerted two Washington Post reporters who arrived and took photos of the vandalism.
Joanna Smith and her co-conspirator sit in front of Edgar Degas's Little Dancer, Fourteen Years Old, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, 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 for repairs, the release said.
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The case was investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI Art Crimes Team, with assistance from the National Gallery of Art Police and the United States Park Police.