Security guard accused of drawing eyes on faceless figures in $1M painting

washingtonexaminer.com ^ | February 09, 2022 | Virginia Aabram

[BenLurkin]

Officials at the Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg in central Russia announced Monday they believe the perpetrator was a private security guard who, during his first day on the job, added eyes to the faceless figures with a ballpoint pen. He has since been fired, and the Three Figures painting, done by Anna Leporskaya between 1932 and 1934, has been sent back to Moscow for restoration.

The painting is insured for nearly $1 million and was on loan from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The damage will be remedied with a restoration expected to cost over $3,000, according to the Moscow Times.

Two visitors first reported the additions to the Soviet-era avant-garde image in December.

[BenLurkin]

[Fester Chugabrew]

Mr. Bean redux.

[Larry Lucido]

It does look slightly better.

[skr]

There’s a lot of dreck in the art world.

[gundog]

He thought it was creepy the way their eyes didn’t follow him around the room.

[ifinnegan]

Funny.

[enumerated]

A million $$ for that?

[hoe_cake]

This guy was so stupid.

[FirstFlaBn]

If he had drawn masks on them, he would have been a hero.

[Nateman]

[Ken H]

Should’ve drawn mustaches. That always gets laughs.

[Ezekiel]

The damage will be remedied with a restoration expected to cost over $3,000, according to the Moscow Times.

Let a local babushka do it. Faceless no more!

[Zack Attack]

All alone guarding that all night. I can see the temptation he must have felt.

[Sicon]

I think he improved it.

[Nateman]

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

You wrecked it, you buy it!

Given his salary is likely no more than $100/week, no problem! He can keep $50/week before tax, to cover his living expenses, and pay $50/week to the museum, for the painting.

Voila! By 2222, it’s his!

</sarc>

[P.O.E.]

Reminds me of the Daffy Duck cartoon where he draws mustaches on everything:

.

Office Porky Pig eventually catches up with him, only to see him acquitted by a jury of Jerry Colonnas

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Sorry, at $50/week it can be his by 2422! No problemm

[Jeff Chandler]

If a ten-year-old can do it, it’s not art.

[Nateman]