Protester who glued himself to Picasso painting clashes with The Project’s Steve Price

Host of The Project Steve Price left a climate protester who glued his hand to a Picasso masterpiece struggling for an answer when he asked why he didn’ stick himself to a power station instead.

In a heated clash on Monday’s episode, environmental activist Tony Gleeson defended his controversial demonstration on Sunday at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

He and another woman from the Extinction Rebellion group sealed their hands to Pablo Picasso’s Massacre in Korea painting on loan from a Paris gallery and worth $280million.

Protest organisers say the odd protest was done to raise awareness about the dangers posed by climate change, but Price says the group’s logic doesn’t stack up. 

‘Why wouldn’t you go and glue your silly hand to a power station rather than a painting in a gallery when that painting is worth so much money?’ Price said. 

In a heated clash on Monday’s episode, environmental activist Tony Gleeson defended his controversial demonstration on Sunday at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (pictured) 

Mr Gleeson insisted he was never going to damage the painting because it was behind perplex. 

‘We knew beforehand that painting was covered and it was carefully planned, we knew that it was covered and we knew that there was no chance of it being damaged,’ Mr Gleeson said.

‘You can frame that whichever way you want, and you will. It’s your job to be provocative like that but I’m not going to wear it.’

Price said he was ‘just being honest’ in his criticism of the protester. 

‘I think I’m speaking for the majority of people who don’t want vandals sticking their hands on perplex covering a Picasso with glue.’

‘They would rather if you want to protest, go and do that somewhere else.’

Mr Gleeson said his radical group was going to do exactly that over the next two weeks. 

‘Yeah, great,’ was the heavily sarcastic reply from Price.

The Project’s Steve Price (pictured) said Mr Gleeson’s protest was ‘silly’ and was not appreciated by most of the Australian public

Mr Gleeson was arrested alongside two other protesters on Sunday for their stunt at the National Gallery of Victoria

Mr Gleeson, who is a 59-year-old grandfather of five, then tried to turn the tables.

‘Steve, do you have kids, grandkids. Are you worried?’ he asked the conservative TV and radio presenter. 

‘We had an election over this Tony,’ Price shot back.

‘Are trying to pretend that no-one notices climate change? For goodness sake, the Government has gone everywhere they can on climate change.’

 Mr Gleeson was not impressed by this argument.

‘No, really?’ the retired school teacher said.

‘One hundred and twelve fossil fuel projects right now? You know the science, Steve cmon, you know the science. 

‘There are 112 fossil fuel projects in this country. Please don’t try to kid people. 

‘The government hasn’t made no difference whatsoever. They haven’t dropped one of those. So get your facts straight, mate.’ 

‘I have,’ was Price’s abrupt reply. 

Protest organisers say the odd protest was done to raise awareness about the dangers posed by climate change, but Price says the group’s logic doesn’t stack up

On Sunday a specialist had to be brought in to remove the glued hands of Mr Gleeson and another unidentified female protester from the covering of the painting.

The pair stood either side of the 1951 piece each with a hand glued to the glass and above a banner reading ‘climate chaos = war + famine’.

A cameraman livestreamed Mr Gleeson and the woman on Facebook as they attached themselves to the painting and began yelling.

Mr Gleeson and two other protesters were arrested. 

The protest has called into question to safety of Australia’s art galleries and means international curators could be hesitant in the future to send over their pieces.