Russian authorities initially declined to investigate the incident, deeming the damage to the painting “ insignificant.” According to the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, an investigation was finally opened this month following the intervention of the country’s ministry of culture, which demanded to reclassify the offense as an attack on a cultural heritage property. “His motives are still unknown but the administration believes it was some kind of a lapse in sanity,” she added.
In a statement on Facebook, the Yeltsin Center said that the painting was sent to Moscow for restoration, adding that experts believe that the damage can be removed “without consequences” to the artwork.Īnna Reshetkina, the exhibition’s curator, told the Art Newspaper Russia that the accused guard defaced the painting using a “Yeltsin Centre-branded pen” on his first day at work.