Defacing Picasso

Some people, I swear.

Officials at the Menil Collection don’t know why a man spray-painted Pablo Picasso’s “Woman in a Red Armchair” at the museum, but the act wasn’t caught just on surveillance cameras.

It also was captured by a bystander with a smartphone camera and subsequently posted on YouTube with a caption naming the alleged perpetrator as a young artist.

Menil communications director Vance Muse, reached Monday in Germany, said museum security discovered the vandalism almost immediately Wednesday afternoon.

The damaged artwork, with the spray paint barely dry, was rushed down the hall to the museum’s conservation lab, where chief conservator Brad Epley quickly began its repair.

The 1929 painting, one of nine by Picasso owned by the Menil, has “an excellent prognosis,” Muse said.

The vandal, who has not been identified officially, stenciled a small image of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word “Conquista” on the painting. He fled and wasn’t caught.

CultureMap has more. Thankfully, the police have now caught the SOB who did this. Robert Boyd sums it up succinctly, and in that spirit I bring you the following, which has some naughty language in it so beware if that sort of thing offends you:

Been way too long since I’ve seen “Repo Man”. I need to watch it again. TM Daily Post and Art Attack have more.

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2 Responses to Defacing Picasso

  1. I think you are misreading the Chron article. They have identified him and charged him, but they haven’t caught him. He is believed too have left town.

  2. You’re right. I misread it. I’ll fix that. Thanks!

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