Child Scratches Rothko Painting Worth $56 Million in 'Unguarded Moment' at Museum

Yahoo

28-04-2025

A kid in The Netherlands could be in time out for a while.
The unnamed child is responsible for damaging a 1960 Mark Rothko painting reportedly worth €50 (about $56 million) inside the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam.
'Rothko's work has sustained damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer,' the museum shared in a statement to U.K. newspaper The Times. 'It was caused by a child who scratched the underside of the work in an unguarded moment.'
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As for next steps, the museum added, 'We are currently investigating, in collaboration with experts, what the next steps for treatment are. We expect that the work can be shown again in the future.'
The painting in question is titled Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 and curator Saskia previously described it as 'a meditative and striking colour landscape' in a March 31 Instagram video from the museum.
The museum opted not to name the child in question or their parents. It also declined to comment on who would be responsible for the cost of the damage.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Boijmans Van Benuningen museum for comment.
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Famed abstract expressionist painter Rothko died in 1970. His works have sold for millions at auction with the highest being $86.9 million in 2012 for his piece Orange, Red, Yellow, according to Art News.
Related: 3,500-Year-Old Jar at Museum Accidentally Smashed by 4-Year-Old Boy
This isn't the first time a piece at the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum has been damaged. In 2011, multiple visitors accidentally stepped on the Peanut Butter Platform display, tracking the peanut butter across the floor. At the time, the museum shared that those responsible for the damage were asked to cover the cost of the clean up.
'The damaged section has been repaired by our technical department. It is normal that people pay if they damage the art,' spokeswoman Sharon Cohen told local media outlet AD at the time, per DutchNews.nl.
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