Latest news with #BlackonMaroon
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
Child accidentally damages $50 million Rothko at Rotterdam museum
Literally marked by a child's hand, one of the Netherland's most valuable paintings is now undergoing restoration after being accidentally damaged in a museum in Rotterdam. The work in question -- Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960) by Mark Rothko -- sustained several visible scratches in its unvarnished lower paint layer when a young child brushed against it during a visit to the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen -- a publicly accessible art storage facility connected to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The incident occurred at the Depot, that allows visitors to view thousands of works in a visible-storage environment, where much of the collection is accessible without traditional exhibition barriers. To many, it feels less like a formal gallery and more like a backstage pass to the museum's inner workings -- a space where masterpieces are visible, but not always protected in the traditional sense. The Rothko work was on display as part of Lievelingen, an exhibition featuring 70 beloved collection highlights, from Bruegel to Dalí, while the main museum is currently closed for renovations until at least 2030. 'The work by Rothko has suffered damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer,' confirmed museum spokesperson Vincent Cardinaal. 'It happened because a child, in an unsupervised moment, touched the lower part of the work. There was no intent. This was not vandalism.' The child, reportedly under the age of five years old, had simply waved a hand too close to the canvas during what the museum later called an 'unguarded moment.' The painting has since been removed from view and transferred to the museum's conservation lab. 'We are currently researching the next steps for treatment and expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,' Cardinaal added. This is not the first time a Rothko painting has been damaged in a public museum. In 2012, a Polish man named Vladimir Umanets wrote on Black on Maroon (1958) at the Tate Modern in London, using black ink to sign his name and added the phrase 'This is Yellowism.' Umanets said it was part of his art movement, but he was arrested and sent to prison for two years. It took 18 months and about $250,000 to repair the painting, showing just how hard it is to fix even small black marker damage on a Rothko. The museum has declined to release photos of the damage or reveal who will cover the costs. 'We never disclose information regarding valuation, security, or insurance,' Cardinaal said. 'That is standard policy -- not just here, but across most major museums in Europe.' Though the painting has never been auctioned, one East European art collector has estimated its value between $50 and $60 million. Acquired by the museum in 1970 -- the year Rothko died -- it is one of just two of his works held in public collections in the Netherlands. Art crime expert Arthur Brand, known for recovering stolen masterpieces, said the damage -- though minor -- underscores the fragility of Rothko's unvarnished surfaces. 'This wasn't a protest or criminal act. It was a child being a child,' Brand said. 'But Rothko's surfaces are incredibly sensitive. A single swipe can mean months of restoration and tens of thousands in costs.' Brand estimated the conservation work could range from $50,000 to $150,000 but explained that the bigger picture should not be lost. 'We should protect these works -- absolutely -- but we also need to let kids be around art. That's how they fall in love with it,' he said. A curator familiar with European museums and their display philosophy, who asked not to be named, offered a broader perspective. 'Given how exposed some of these works are, it's almost surprising that these accidents don't happen more often.' The incident has revived questions about the risks of displaying high-value art in open-access settings. Still, the museum stands by its approach. And as the scratched Rothko awaits restoration, Brand summed it simply. 'In every crowd of 100, there's always one person -- or in this case, one tiny hand -- capable of a very big accident.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Child accidentally damages $50 million Rothko at Rotterdam museum
Literally marked by a child's hand, one of the Netherland's most valuable paintings is now undergoing restoration after being accidentally damaged in a museum in Rotterdam. The work in question -- Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960) by Mark Rothko -- sustained several visible scratches in its unvarnished lower paint layer when a young child brushed against it during a visit to the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen -- a publicly accessible art storage facility connected to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The incident occurred at the Depot, that allows visitors to view thousands of works in a visible-storage environment, where much of the collection is accessible without traditional exhibition barriers. To many, it feels less like a formal gallery and more like a backstage pass to the museum's inner workings -- a space where masterpieces are visible, but not always protected in the traditional sense. MORE: Gustav Klimt portrait found after vanishing nearly 100 years ago The Rothko work was on display as part of Lievelingen, an exhibition featuring 70 beloved collection highlights, from Bruegel to Dalí, while the main museum is currently closed for renovations until at least 2030. 'The work by Rothko has suffered damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer,' confirmed museum spokesperson Vincent Cardinaal. 'It happened because a child, in an unsupervised moment, touched the lower part of the work. There was no intent. This was not vandalism.' The child, reportedly under the age of five years old, had simply waved a hand too close to the canvas during what the museum later called an 'unguarded moment.' The painting has since been removed from view and transferred to the museum's conservation lab. 'We are currently researching the next steps for treatment and expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,' Cardinaal added. MORE: Beer can artwork accidentally trashed by museum worker This is not the first time a Rothko painting has been damaged in a public museum. In 2012, a Polish man named Vladimir Umanets wrote on Black on Maroon (1958) at the Tate Modern in London, using black ink to sign his name and added the phrase 'This is Yellowism.' Umanets said it was part of his art movement, but he was arrested and sent to prison for two years. It took 18 months and about $250,000 to repair the painting, showing just how hard it is to fix even small black marker damage on a Rothko. The museum has declined to release photos of the damage or reveal who will cover the costs. MORE: 'Complete mystery' as 1,800-year-old ancient Roman statue dug up in UK parking lot MORE: 200-year-old 'national treasure' stolen from storage unit as police hunt for missing portrait of George Washington 'We never disclose information regarding valuation, security, or insurance,' Cardinaal said. 'That is standard policy -- not just here, but across most major museums in Europe.' Though the painting has never been auctioned, one East European art collector has estimated its value between $50 and $60 million. Acquired by the museum in 1970 -- the year Rothko died -- it is one of just two of his works held in public collections in the Netherlands. Art crime expert Arthur Brand, known for recovering stolen masterpieces, said the damage -- though minor -- underscores the fragility of Rothko's unvarnished surfaces. MORE: 4 charged after fully functional solid gold toilet called 'America' stolen from Winston Churchill's birthplace 'This wasn't a protest or criminal act. It was a child being a child,' Brand said. 'But Rothko's surfaces are incredibly sensitive. A single swipe can mean months of restoration and tens of thousands in costs.' Brand estimated the conservation work could range from $50,000 to $150,000 but explained that the bigger picture should not be lost. 'We should protect these works -- absolutely -- but we also need to let kids be around art. That's how they fall in love with it,' he said. A curator familiar with European museums and their display philosophy, who asked not to be named, offered a broader perspective. 'Given how exposed some of these works are, it's almost surprising that these accidents don't happen more often.' MORE: Solid gold toilet worth over $1 million stolen from Winston Churchill's birthplace The incident has revived questions about the risks of displaying high-value art in open-access settings. Still, the museum stands by its approach. And as the scratched Rothko awaits restoration, Brand summed it simply. 'In every crowd of 100, there's always one person -- or in this case, one tiny hand -- capable of a very big accident.' Child accidentally damages $50 million Rothko at Rotterdam museum originally appeared on
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rothko painting worth more than £42m damaged by child visiting gallery
An abstract painting thought to be worth millions of pounds has been damaged by a child at a gallery in the Netherlands. The painting 'Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8' by artist Mark Rothko was housed at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. However, it appears a young visitor got a little too close to the masterwork and touched it. The museum told The Independent the artwork had 'sustained superficial damage', which included 'small scratches' in the lower part of the painting. 'We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting,' the statement said. No information was provided about the possible cost of restoring the artwork, and no pictures of the damage were released. 'We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,' the museum added. A spokesperson for the museum told Dutch media outlet Algemeen Dagblad on Friday that the damage occurred during an 'unguarded moment.' The artwork is estimated to be worth up to €50m (£42.5m), according to the Dutch newspaper. Another Rothko painting was defaced in 2012 while on display in London's Tate Modern museum. 'Black on Maroon' was part of a series originally commissioned by the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York, which was housed in the Seagram Building, a celebrated modernist skyscraper on Park Avenue. Artist Wlodzimierz Umaniec vandalised the painting in the name of his Yellowist movement. He was jailed for two years. And last year, London's National Gallery made the 'unfortunate decision' to ban liquids in the wake of a spate of attacks by activists on its artworks. 'Unfortunately, we have now reached a point where we have been forced to act to protect our visitors, staff and collection,' the National Gallery said in a statement on Thursday. 'From 10am on Friday October 18 2024, no liquids can be brought into the National Gallery, except for baby formula, expressed milk and prescription medicines.' It cited paintings including Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers, John Constable's The Hay Wain and Velazquez's Rokeby Venus among those targeted in 'five separate attacks on iconic paintings'.
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Rothko painting worth more than £42m damaged by child visiting gallery
An abstract painting thought to be worth millions of pounds has been damaged by a child at a gallery in the Netherlands. The painting 'Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8' by artist Mark Rothko was housed at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. However, it appears a young visitor got a little too close to the masterwork and touched it. The museum told The Independent the artwork had 'sustained superficial damage', which included 'small scratches' in the lower part of the painting. 'We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting,' the statement said. No information was provided about the possible cost of restoring the artwork, and no pictures of the damage were released. 'We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,' the museum added. A spokesperson for the museum told Dutch media outlet Algemeen Dagblad on Friday that the damage occurred during an 'unguarded moment.' The artwork is estimated to be worth up to €50m (£42.5m), according to the Dutch newspaper. Another Rothko painting was defaced in 2012 while on display in London's Tate Modern museum. 'Black on Maroon' was part of a series originally commissioned by the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York, which was housed in the Seagram Building, a celebrated modernist skyscraper on Park Avenue. Artist Wlodzimierz Umaniec vandalised the painting in the name of his Yellowist movement. He was jailed for two years. And last year, London's National Gallery made the 'unfortunate decision' to ban liquids in the wake of a spate of attacks by activists on its artworks. 'Unfortunately, we have now reached a point where we have been forced to act to protect our visitors, staff and collection,' the National Gallery said in a statement on Thursday. 'From 10am on Friday October 18 2024, no liquids can be brought into the National Gallery, except for baby formula, expressed milk and prescription medicines.' It cited paintings including Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers, John Constable's The Hay Wain and Velazquez's Rokeby Venus among those targeted in 'five separate attacks on iconic paintings'.
Sky News
29-04-2025
- Sky News
Child damages Rothko painting worth tens of millions of pounds in Rotterdam
A child has damaged a huge painting thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds in the Netherlands. The abstract artwork, named "Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8", by Mark Rothko was on public display in a storage facility next to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam when it sustained "superficial damage". A spokesperson for the museum told Sky News that a child "touched the painting when it was on display". They added in a statement: "As a result, small scratches are visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting. "Conservation expertise has been sought in the Netherlands and abroad. We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting. We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future." The museum did not reveal how it much thought the painting was worth or the expected cost of any repair work. Prominent Dutch art collector Bert Kreuk estimated three years ago that the painting would potentially sell for between €40m (£34m) to €50m (£42m), the Algemeen Dagblad news site in the Netherlands reports. A museum spokesperson also told the news service that the Rothko painting was damaged during an "unguarded moment". The abstract artwork had reportedly been the centrepiece of the museum before the building was closed for renovation. The painting is therefore currently on display in a nearby art storage facility which contains the museum's entire collection and is open to the public. Rothko was born in a part of Russia which is now Latvia in 1903 but moved to America as a child. The artist, who died in 1970, was best known for his "colour field" paintings and many of his works have sold for tens of millions of pounds. Rothko's 1958 work, Black on Maroon was deliberately vandalised at London's Tate Modern gallery in October 2012. Wlodzimierz Umaniec was sent to prison for two years for the defacing the painting. During his trial, prosecuting barrister Gregor McKinley said the cost of repairing the work would be about £200,000.
