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.
Forget I said that. How are they going to tell the stain from the painting?
Yeah, someday I want a patio with some pink flamingos, preferably the kind that have the tiny lights. ;o)
That seems very tacky....
Do recall that Picasso was a very talented artist at the turn of the 19th century, an up and coming realist.
Marxism was on the rise in Europe, and his contemporaries pointed out to him that they'd make a better living if they all sold 'abstract art' to the elites. The 'elites' did not want to be accused of being 'anti-intellectual', and the idea of relativism folded in nicely with the Marxist way of thinking.
Abstract art is crap, and has more to do with equivocation than truth.
yeah and I looked at the painting I'm still trying to figure out how they noticed.
Obviously he was just trying to add a little texture and depth to an otherwise pointless and boring canvas.
Right - it just means you don't happen to like it.
Now you're talking!
They have a rule. No gum in the museum anywhere.
you are missing the point. I don't guess you would think the way you are if it had been something that belonged to you. Even if it was something stupid or ugly it would have been YOURS and not someone else's to destroy.
ooops. Thought you were serious.
This whole thing seems pretty silly. I agree a market price of 1.5 million for such an abstract painting mystifies me, but that's the way it is. I don't understand why a Ferrari costs $250,000+ either, but, if I was in an accident and wrecked one, hey, I and my insurance company would be responsible to fix it(or (gasp) replace it...if totalled).
As far as fairness is concerned whether the art is a Rembrandt or a wacky modern artist, the kid's parents owe the gallery whatever it takes to restore the painting to original condition. At age 12, their brat knew what he was doing.
We don't give people permission to damage something owned by others, just because it's not their taste.
Another conman/"artist" by the name of Jackson Pollock already beat that scam to death. He sold a bunch of drop cloths he called paintings.
I have to say, this piece is quite inspiring. I never thought i had any artistic talent and therefore long ago put away my crayons in despair but now i realize it doesn't take talent to make big bucks in the art world. Come to think of it, i imagine i probably have some kindergarten work that very much resembles this.
I mean honestly, this type of "art" is something i'd expect to see hanging up in some 2nd grade classroom and even then i doubt it'd be voted the best picture of the class.
On second thought, maybe it wasn't that bad a crime. At least not as much as that painting being worth that much money.
That is just nasty. Chewed gum art. Yuck.
"Marxism was on the rise in Europe, and his contemporaries pointed out to him that they'd make a better living if they all sold 'abstract art' to the elites. The 'elites' did not want to be accused of being 'anti-intellectual', and the idea of relativism folded in nicely with the Marxist way of thinking."
You'ld better brush up on your art history because not a word of that is true.
Art ping.
Let Sam Cree, Woofie or me know if you want on or off the art ping list.
Yawn.
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