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»Three figures« by Anna Leporskaya with »minor damage«
Photo: The Art Newspaper
On his first day at work, a museum attendant in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg damaged a valuable painting with a pen.
According to consistent media information, this was announced by the center in the Urals, named after former President Boris Yeltsin, where the painting was exhibited.
Accordingly, the man painted eyes in the faces of two figures in the picture »Three Figures« by Anna Leporskaja (1900-1982).
In the original, the three heads have neither eyes nor noses and mouths.
The security guard who has since been released is a 63-year-old who fought for the Soviet Union in the Afghan war, the local news portal E1.ru reported on Thursday.
He is said to suffer from mental problems, the portal E1.ru quoted an investigator as saying.
Under pressure from the Ministry of Culture, the police in the city east of Moscow are now investigating vandalism.
Officials initially refused to open proceedings because of the "minor damage," several Russian media reported.
The painting from the collection of the world-famous Moscow Tretyakov Gallery can be saved, according to the Boris Yeltsin Center.
It is now in Moscow.
The damage can be repaired.
He is reportedly estimated at 250,000 rubles (equivalent to 2900 euros).
The picture has an insurance value of 880,000 euros.
ime/dpa