Top 10 Times Paintings Were Attacked By Morons
#10: Black on Maroon
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Mark Rothko Hung in the Tate Modern gallery in London, this piece was defaced in 2012 by a man named Vladimir Umanets. Umanets confidently claimed that he was “not a vandal,” despite having scrawled some writing on the Rothko piece. But what did he write? His name– of course– and the words “a potential piece of Yellowism.” Umanets is a founder of “Yellowism,” which he claims is “not art or anti-art.” But this so-called artistic (or, not artistic) movement is no excuse for defacing a classic work of art. Especially considering the fact that Rothko’s use of various mediums made the Tate Modern’s restoration of the piece a eighteen-month-long process. Which is almost the same amount of jail time that Umanets served for his vandalism.
#9: Rokeby Venus
Diego Velázquez Before the Internet, you had to go to the museum to see nudes. And in 1914, that deeply troubled suffragette Mary Richardson. This painting depicts the backside of a naked woman, with her face reflected in a mirror held by Cupid. Richardson hated that men stood and stared at the piece, and wanted to take a stand against the government following the arrest of activist Emmeline Pankhurst. And so, she attacked Velazquez’s painting with a meat cleaver. She was imprisoned for her actions, and the Rokeby Venus was quickly repaired. Richardson may have intended to make a statement to forward women’s rights, but ultimately her stunt had little impact on anyone– besides the folks tasked with fixing the artwork.
#8: Lamentation of Christ
Albrecht Dürer Some people want to see the world burn… or, if not the world, then some famous paintings. A man named Hans-Joachim Bohlmann was a serial art vandal, having caused serious damage to a slew of artwork by notable artists. After having been arrested and imprisoned for art vandalism, Bohlmann was released and immediately began to destroy more paintings. He visited Munich’s Alte Pinakothek with two bottles of acid and proceeded to splatter them all over Dürer’s works, including the “Lamentation of Christ.” Bohlmann’s motivation? He “wanted to destroy things other people love.”
#7: Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Salvador Dalí This Dalí piece is quite unlike his other, more surrealist, works. It has resided in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow since 1952 after being purchased for 8,200 pounds. At the time, some residents of the city were upset by this acquisition, deeming it frivolous. But one man took matters into his own hands– literally– and attacked the painting with a large rock, and then ripped it down. It took a few months to fix, but the piece was successfully restored. And yet, the vandalism didn’t end! Years later, another person had attempted to damage the painting with an airgun– but ultimately only affected the artwork’s glass casing.
#6: Guernica
Pablo Picasso This beautiful painting is one of artist Pablo Picasso’s most well known, and is lauded as one of history’s quintessential anti-war pieces. And yet, it’s not immune to artistic violence. Art dealer and gallery owner Tony Shafrazi entered New York’s Museum of Modern Art with the intention of making a mark. Using spray paint, Shafrazi wrote the words “KILL LIES ALL” across the painting, claiming that he himself was an artist and should be immune to consequence. Luckily, a clear varnish over the artwork protected it from this thoughtless act of vandalism.
#5: Sunflowers
Vincent van Gogh You may recall this recent art vandalism incident! Two climate activists tossed cans of tomato soup at this van Gogh masterpiece, arguing that the painting is not worth as much as human lives. True, however this approach doesn’t seem to be the most effective means to make such a point. The piece is protected by a thin glass covering, and was restored almost immediately. The protestors were taken into custody, and are facing trespassing and damages charges. While their intentions were to call attention to human rights issues, the stunt only served to bring attention to themselves.
#4: Le Rêve
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Pablo Picasso Another Picasso piece ruined by human stupidity! This one is a real doozy– Las Vegas casino owner and businessman Steve Wynn purchased the painting at an auction for an estimated $60 million. It stayed in his office for him to boast, and one day as he was doing so, he inadvertently elbowed the piece, leaving a six-inch gash in the canvas. The repair cost him $90,000, but it was eventually fixed. Wynn went on to resell the painting at a profit, despite his ridiculous mistake. Hopefully the new owner is more cautious around the art than he was!
#3: Mona Lisa
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Leonardo da Vinci As one of the most recognizable pieces of art in the world, it’s sadly no surprise the Mona Lisa has fallen victim to some attacks. The iconic painting has endured a lot: it has been doused in acid, it’s had a rock thrown at it, and it’s been vandalized with spray paint. In 2009, a woman who had been denied French citizenship bought a mug at the Louvre gift shop and hurled it at the piece. Most recently, a man smeared cake over the painting as a form of climate protest. Luckily, as is the case for most of these paintings, the Mona Lisa is kept behind a glass barrier and doesn’t endure much damage.
#2: The Night Watch
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Rembrandt van Rijn Yet another painting that has faced multiple attacks, The Night Watch is a classic piece from the Dutch Golden Age. The first incident took place in 1911, when a man tried to slash up the work with a knife. A similar stunt occurred about sixty years later when another man also took a knife to the canvas, claiming his actions were ordered to him by a higher power. The restoration that followed was timely and challenging, but was eventually completed. A third assault on the piece happened in 1990, this time it having been sprayed with acid. Museum employees quickly neutralized the effects of the substance, minimizing any further wear on the painting.
#1: Le Pont d’Argenteuil
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Claude Monet Some cases of vandalism are misguided attempts at activism… others are just plain dumb. This Monet piece belongs to the Orsay Museum in Paris, which was broken into in 2007. The group of intruders were ostensibly drunk, and simply caused damage for damage’s sake. Besides leaving behind a mess, one of the trespassers punched a hole into the famous impressionist painting. The attack was a senseless crime against a well-loved masterpiece, but the tear to the fabric was mendable. The vandals in this incident were never identified, so we can only hope their path of art destruction ended here.
