Posted on 02/28/2006 12:55:40 PM PST by Cagey
DETROIT -- The Detroit Institute of Arts is stuck with having to repair a painting worth $1.5 million.
It has to remove a stain left by a wad of gum stuck on the painting by a 12-year-old visitor.
It happened Friday. Museum officials said the boy was with a group from Holly Academy in Oakland County, Mich., when he took the gum out of his mouth and stuck it on Helen Frankenthaler's 1963 abstract painting "The Bay."
The gum didn't stick to the fiber of the canvas, but left a stain the size of a quarter. Museum experts are researching the chemicals in the gum to decide how to clean the painting.
Holly Academy director Julie Kildee said the boy had been suspended from the charter school and said his parents also have disciplined him.
"Even though we give very strict guidelines on proper behavior and we hold students to high standards, he is only 12 and I don't think he understood the ramifications of what he did before it happened, but he certainly understands the severity of it now," said Kildee.
Perfect.
That is too funny! LOL. I needed that laugh this afternoon!
Hm.. I actually like it. Not that I'd pay $1.5 million for it, or even $1.5 hundred ... but it's interesting.
Jean Shepherd would refer to that as "Slob Art". I've always liked Slob Art.
Ping...post 69. Get a chuckle.
Every seven-year-old (with normal faculties) knows the "do not touch" rule that holds in any place with valuable items.
ROTFL! Although, this does NOT surprise me a bit!
$1.5 Million for that "art" seems a seriously inflated value to me.
ok, you need to take a class in the ability to read "sarcastic". =)
So did we. First of all we were told not to touch things that didn't belong to us. Second of all we knew when we went to anything like that that it was something special. I'm sorry. This kid knew what he was doing.
I wonder at home if he puts his gum on things around his own house. Like family photos, prints or any kind of artwork his parents have. Wonder how he would like it if his parents or someone else put a wad of gum on a favorite photo, print, poster or whatever else he might deem important to him? It would be a different story then. I'm glad he was suspended or tossed out of the charter school. He was/is old enough to know what he did was wrong. Most people even kids know artwork in a museum is there for a reason. He may not like the piece or maybe he thought it was silly or stupid and had no meaning to him. That could be the case but...I doubt it. I think HE thought he was being cute and funny. He should be made to have some kind of job that so much money goes towards the museum to help in the repair. Granted, he could never make it all up to them but..maybe it would teach the little twit a lesson that once you make a decision to do something so stupid you will have to pay the consequence.
Sounds like a job for "Goo Gone"
That may be. HOwever it was still property that belonged to the museum not this boy who chose to put his gum on it. Why didn't he put his gum in his OWN pocket? Perhaps in his hair or on his dad's car or on his mom's china? Why, why, why? He put it on the painting cause he wanted to and becuase he probably thought he would get a laugh. That's why. Whether or not the painting is worth a dollor or a million it was not the boys to destroy. Period!
What's really scary is, I can see what you're talking about.
When I look at that atrociously overpriced blotch of paint, "The Emperor's New Clothes" comes to mind. The real art is in the writeup next to the painting-----the one that convinces art snobs that they are looking at a work of genius.
That sir is the difference between you and what the boy did to the painting.
The people have the child's intent all wrong....he was trying to improve the art.......
Some of yooz guyz just don't understand modern art and break dancing.
Okay, I looked at her stuff - I might try to use some of it as height maps for 3d landscape rendering, but that's about it.
Cane him. AND is escort or parental unit.
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