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Boy Sticks Gum On $1.5 Million Painting At Museum
WFTV-NEWS ^ | 2-28-2006

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: art; bubbalicious; craponcrap; hatewhenthathappens; kidstoday; nonart
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To: Tennessee_Bob

I think Wrigley needs to be sued ..


61 posted on 02/28/2006 1:18:39 PM PST by binkdeville
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To: Cagey

I've seen paintings by Chimps that look better than that, I know of an Elephant that does quite well do.. This was painted by a HUMAN?...


62 posted on 02/28/2006 1:19:31 PM PST by hosepipe (CAUTION: This propaganda is laced with hyperbole..)
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To: Trailerpark Badass

"In order for your paintings to be worth anything, you have to die."

Death can be faked. :)


63 posted on 02/28/2006 1:20:02 PM PST by BeHoldAPaleHorse (Tagline deleted at request of moderator.)
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To: Shalom Israel
Looks like a profile of some dude/dudette with a big nose facing left.

This "art" sucks... give me a A. Weyth (spelling?), Hopper, de Goya, Van Gogh, Renoir any day.

64 posted on 02/28/2006 1:20:14 PM PST by Trajan88 (www.bullittclub.com)
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To: Cagey
Send the bill to his parents. THEY will understand and teach their son accordingly.

Of course, after seeing the piece of crap painting. There's no way I would have pegged that for a 1.5 million painting. My 6 year old can do better.

65 posted on 02/28/2006 1:20:18 PM PST by Centurion2000 (Islam's true face: http://makeashorterlink.com/?J169127BC)
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To: Trailerpark Badass
Hang on, I'm getting myself some canvases, some paint, and a fifth of Jack Daniels, and I'm becoming a frickin' ARTISTE!

In order for your paintings to be worth anything, you have to die.

of AIDS

66 posted on 02/28/2006 1:20:27 PM PST by SlowBoat407 (The best stuff happens just before the thread snaps.)
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To: Shalom Israel

If you tilt the painting a bit clockwise - it kind of looks like Nancy Pelosi's profile.


67 posted on 02/28/2006 1:21:18 PM PST by Tokra (I think I'll retire to Bedlam.)
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To: Cagey; Charles Henrickson; martin_fierro

68 posted on 02/28/2006 1:21:36 PM PST by mikrofon (Chucklets)
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To: Cagey
When I was about ten, I went on a school trip to the Museum of Natural History with my Catholic school class.

I wandered ahead of the group and came across a dolphin display. The glass itself was very wavy, to give the impression that you were looking through water, at the lifesize dolphins suspended by almost invisible cables in the display. An undersea panorama was painted on the back wall of the display.

I snuck around back and found a small trapdoor into the display. When my class arrived at the window, I was inside the display, pretending to be holding my breath and swimming underwater with the dolphins.

I was much disciplined for my show, but it was worth it. I even caught a non-nun teacher laughing.

I left no gum or permanent damage behind.

69 posted on 02/28/2006 1:22:23 PM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: 6SJ7

I would rather have a picture painted by elephants!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0626_020626_elephant.html


70 posted on 02/28/2006 1:22:34 PM PST by Muzzle_em ("Mayor Nagin, what about those buses?")
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To: Cagey
Ahh...I'm pretty sure chewing gum was strictly prohibited when I was 12 and in Catholic school (and that wasn't all that long ago...ten years). I am also pretty sure had I done this, I would not be here typing this: at best I'd still be grounded; at worst...well...I shudder to think.

That being said, I'm pretty sure I could do abstract art (despite having no "real" artisitic talent)...in theory all you have to do is create a mess and then BS a "deeper meaning" behind the work. The downside is you inevitably have to wear funny clothes and act slightly insane for your work to gain value. Also, I am pretty certain that if you are later "exposed" as a Conservative, the value of your work drops by about $1,499,999.
71 posted on 02/28/2006 1:22:48 PM PST by MrBlueSky2005
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To: mikrofon

This is art ..AMAZING STUFF
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/e/eyck_van/jan/


72 posted on 02/28/2006 1:23:56 PM PST by binkdeville
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To: Cagey
This is it? Really? $1.6 million?

Incredible....

73 posted on 02/28/2006 1:24:11 PM PST by TexasCajun
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To: mikrofon; MotleyGirl70

Great PS!


74 posted on 02/28/2006 1:24:21 PM PST by Cagey (You don't pay taxes - they take taxes. ~Chris Rock)
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To: Cagey

Take a Bazooka to that 'art'...

75 posted on 02/28/2006 1:26:10 PM PST by IncPen (Torture should be safe, legal, and rare.)
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To: just me

That certainly wasn't meant as a defense of the kid.

At 12 he should've known a hell of a lot better.


76 posted on 02/28/2006 1:26:11 PM PST by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: Shalom Israel

Lordy - I've made paintings like that by accident when trying to paint something good. Where's my $12mil? I clearly need a boy to stick gum on some of my stuff to get in the paper.


77 posted on 02/28/2006 1:26:15 PM PST by AmericanChef
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To: Cagey
My sister and I visited the Detroit Institute of Arts (one of the countries best art museums, btw) a few years ago. We were in the Modern Art wing. We had been walking for hours and my sister (who is not a modern art fan) sat down on a large stone bench-shaped sculpture.

A guard approached her and said, "Please don't sit on the artwork."

My sister looked around and replied, "I wouldn't if I saw any."

78 posted on 02/28/2006 1:27:01 PM PST by Tokra (I think I'll retire to Bedlam.)
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To: Cagey

The gum could only have been an improvement!


79 posted on 02/28/2006 1:27:02 PM PST by Palladin ("Governor Lynn Swann."...it has a nice ring to it!)
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To: Shalom Israel
I think it's a bum rap. Looks like the canvas was stained before the kid got there:

Is this the famous blue dress stain?

80 posted on 02/28/2006 1:27:43 PM PST by F-117A
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