Latvian-American painter Mark Rothko’s large painting at a Dutch museum was damaged after a young visitor “scratched” it.
According to CNN, a “Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8” masterpiece of Rothko, estimated to be worth up to €50m (£42.5m) at the Rotterdam gallery, was removed from the display after a child scratched it.
The 7 feet, 6 inches high by 8 feet, 6 inches wide, abstract painting from 1960 was a centrepiece of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. It had been temporarily on display at the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, as the museum is closed because of large-scale renovation.
Conservation expert tasked with repairing abstract art
The museum, in a statement email to CNN, confirmed the incident and said, “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. 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,” they added.
However, the museum declined to provide any details about the worth of the painting, the damage cost and who will pay for the damage.
Who is Mark Rothko?
Rothko was an American artist who was best known for his “colour field” paintings. His artwork regularly fetches millions of dollars at auctions. Recently his painting “Untitled, 1968” was sold for $23.9 million in November 2023 at Sotheby’s in New York.
He painted abstract art, modern art and colour field from 1949 to 1970 and died at the age of 66 years on February 25, 1970.
