In an incident that transpired in a reported "unguarded moment," a child in the Netherlands scratched a Mark Rothko painting valued at about $56 million. The name of the child or the possible consequences were not made public by the museum. This incident marks the latest of Rothko's paintings to suffer some type of damage or vandalism.
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According to a statement issued by the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum and shared with PEOPLE, Rothko's Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8, an abstract painting displayed at the Rotterdam museum's Depot as part of a collection, was damaged by a child.
"The painting Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 by Mark Rothko has sustained superficial damage after a child touched the painting when it was on display," the statement reads. "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."
No information on the identity of the child or who will be held accountable was released by the museum.
'Susceptible To Damage'
Sophie McAloone, a conservation manager, revealed to BBC News that the nature of the painting, which was unvarnished, made it "particularly susceptible to damage."
"In this case, scratching of the upper paint layers can have a significant impact on the viewing experience of the piece," McAloone added.
Marketing manager Jonny Helm was worried about how this incident could impact other institutions. According to him, many are considering displaying their collections.
"How will this event affect other UK institutions who are opening up their archives in the same way?" Helm asked.
Helm also mentioned that this is not the first time that a Rothko piece had been damaged or vandalized. For example, Black on Maroon, a 1958 painting, was vandalized in October 2012. The man responsible, Wlodzimierz Umaniec, spent two years behind bars as a result. It took 18 months, multiple conservators, and approximately and more than $225,000 to restore the painting.
According to the museum's website, Mark Rothko emigrated to the United States in 1913. He went on to become a painter. His alcoholism and depression were reflected in his unique style, perfectly represented in the piece shown at the Netherlands museum.
His paintings have sold for millions. For example, Orange, Red, Yellow, a similar piece to Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8, was sold for $86.9 million on May 12, as per Art News.
