‘Bored’ security guard damages painting worth Rs 7.5 crore on first day at the job

At a Russian gallery, a ‘bored’ security guard crept a close look at the faceless figures depicted in the artwork and defaced it. The painting is worth almost Rs 7.5 crore. At an abstract art exhibition at the Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg, western Russia, the 60-year-old security guard (whose identity has not been revealed) had drawn two pairs of eyes with a ballpoint pen on the painting Three Figures (1932–1934) by Anna Leporskaya on his first day of work.

According to the Art Newspaper, visitors to the Yeltsin Center spotted the ‘additions’ to the painting. According to a statement by the Yeltsin Center, the man was employed by a private security company. ‘We inform you that during the investigation, the person who painted the eyes on the figures in the painting by Anna Leporskaya was identified – this is an employee of a private security organization that carries out security activities at the Yeltsin Center,’ it stated.

”Led Blindly into the Abyss.”#ThreeFigures pic.twitter.com/0rgwNjV0cg

— Greg Brian (@Gregoriancant) February 10, 2022

The man has since been fired. The next day, the painting was sent to the Moscow gallery and is being restored there. According to the restoration expert at the State Tretyakov Gallery, the damage can be corrected without causing long-term damage to the artwork. It has been estimated that the damage to the painting and the cost of restoration will be Rs 2.5 lakh, which will be covered by the employer. There is no indication of how much the painting is worth, but it was insured for Rs 7.5 crore with Alfa insurance company.

Police have now started an investigation into vandalism, which is punishable by a fine of up to Rs 45,000 and one year of proper labor. Known for her avant-garde art, Leporskaya studied with Kazimir Malevich, a renowned, avant-garde Russian artist who died in 1982. Primarily known for her artistic porcelain, she is a master of the medium. Along with the Tretyakov Gallery, her works are widely represented in the collection of the Russian Museum.