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Child damages Rothko painting worth more than £42m at museum

Art handlers from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen install Rothko's Grey, Orange on Maroon, No.8
Art handlers from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen install Rothko's Grey, Orange on Maroon, No.8 (Aad Hoogendoorn/Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen)
  • A Mark Rothko painting, "Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8," estimated to be worth £42.5 million, was damaged at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.
  • A child caused "small scratches" to the lower part of the painting, which was described as “superficial damage”.
  • The museum is assessing the damage and planning restoration, but has not released images or cost estimates.
  • Unrelated acts of vandalism against artworks, including a 2012 defacement of a different Rothko painting and recent attacks on paintings at London's National Gallery, prompted the gallery to ban liquids.
  • The museum expects the Rothko painting to be displayed again in the future.
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