(Vija Celmins, Night Sky No.12)

Some of us have always been curious as to what museum guards really think when they have to stand guard over piles of debris, merde in cans, or chicken-scratch on walls. Well, we just found out.

The Canadian Broadcasting Centre reported earlier today that “[a] former guard at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art has been charged with vandalizing a million-dollar painting he apparently didn’t like, damaging it beyond repair. Timur Serebrykov, 27, of Pittsburgh is accused of defacing Night Sky No. 12 by Latvian-born Vija Celmins. The oil-on-canvas painting of a black starlit night had a large vertical gouge in the middle and was damaged beyond repair, according to a police affidavit. The painting was valued at $1.2 million US, authorities said. Court documents indicate Serebrykov used a key or other implement to damage the painting because he disliked it.” More from the CBC here.

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2. Magritte Painting Stolen
3. Art Crime Losses May Total $8 billion Per Year
4. “Some [Museums]…feel they need armed officers…”
5. It’s So Famous I didn’t Know It Was Missing