29-04-2025
Child damages painting worth tens of millions during 'unguarded moment'
A painting worth an estimated €50m has been damaged after an 'unguarded moment' which saw a young child place their hands on the artwork.
Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 was painted by Mark Rothko and was being displayed in a storage facility next to the museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.
The abstract piece had been the centre piece for the museum before it was closed for renovation and was being displayed at the art storage facility along with the museum's entire collection. A painting worth an estimated €50m has been damaged after an 'unguarded moment' which saw a young child place their hands on the artwork. Pic: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
A spokesperson for the museum confirmed that the painting had sustained 'superficial' damage such as 'small scratches visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting.'
Speaking to the BBC, they said: '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.' Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 was painted by Mark Rothko and was being displayed in a storage facility next to the museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Pic: Google Maps
Mark Rothkow was a Latvian-American abstract painter, best known for his colour field paintings which saw irregular rectangular regions of colour.
The painter died in 1970, with many of his works selling for tens of millions of euro.
It's not the first time his paintings have been damaged with Wlodzimierz Umaniec being jailed for two years in 2012 following the defilement of black on Maroon.
The 1958 work was deliberaly damaged at London's Tate Modern gallery, with the court told that repairing the work would cost in the region of €235,000.
It took a year and a half for the painting to be restored.
