Kids do the darndest things, including damaging incredibly valuable paintings.
Mark Rothko‘s Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960) has been removed from display at a museum in the Netherlands and is undergoing restoration after a young child, reportedly under the age of 5, accidentally caused “visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer.”
“It happened because a child, in an unsupervised moment, touched the lower part of the work,” says the museum’s spokesperson. “There was no intent. This was not vandalism.”
The painting is estimated to be worth between $50 million and $60 million. But, of course, who could possibly put a price on the curiosity of a child?