Don’t destroy what you can’t make, folks!
A Pablo Picasso painting worth a whopping $26m was destroyed at a museum in London. Media reports confirm that a 20-year-old man who attacked and destroyed the abstract art has been arrested and charged with criminal damage.
What a real damage for such an abstract art!
Shakeel Ryan Massey is undergoing investigation for Saturday’s incident at Tate Modern.
Local media described the damaged artwork from Picasso as “Bust of a Woman.”
Image shows Bust of a Woman by Pablo Picasso
“Bust of a Woman” is a 75-year-old oil painting which depicts one of Picasso’s lovers, the photographer Dora Maar. The semi-abstract styled artwork shows Dora wearing a hat and green clothing while sitting on a black metal chair.
Speaking to newsmen about the costly masterpiece, a representative for Tate Modern said Shakeel was “swiftly apprehended” after vandalizing the property, adding that investigators are yet to determine the extent of the damage.
The BBC, however, acknowledged that Picasso’s “Bust of a Woman” was ripped.
Findings show that Picasso’s “Bust of a Woman” was completed in Paris in the month of May 1944, around the last days of WWII when Germans occupied the French capital. Picasso was said to have painted “Bust of a Woman” after most of his master’s friends were arrested and deported to Spain.
Tate’s description of the painting reads, “‘Bust of a Woman’ and its associated series captures this complex moment of fear and hope that would lead Picasso to join the Communist Party in October 1944.”
Conversation experts have reportedly removed the painting from display for proper inspections.
According to Tate’s website, the painting has been on long-term loan from a private collection since 2011.
Massey, who is from northwest London, appeared before a judge at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He was held without bail. During his first hearing, the “heartless” suspect indicated he would deny the charges against him.
With this turn of events, the Inner London Crown Court will grant Massey a pretrial hearing on 30 January 2020, the Washington Post said.
Massey’s attack on Picasso’s ‘Bust of a Woman’ in Tate Modern comes after a famed Mark Rothko painting valued around $11 million was vandalized at the same gallery in 2012.
Tate Modern atracted nearly 6 million people in 2018, a record which made it the most-visited tourist attraction in Britain last year. The museum is located on the banks of the River Thames, where visitors gain several free offers to attend exhibitions. The London gallery displays lots of artwork from around the world.
