"Bored at Work"... Art Museum Security Guard Scribbles on Expensive Artwork on First Day of Work

by Heo Midam

Published 14 Feb.2022 00:01(KST)

Security Guard Who Graffitied Artwork Worth 1.2 Billion Won Ultimately Fired

A security guard at a Russian art museum was fired after doodling on an artwork on his first day at work. Photo by Twitter screenshot.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A security guard in his 60s working at an art museum in Russia was fired after vandalizing an artwork on his first day at work.

According to foreign media including the UK Guardian on the 12th (local time), on December 7 last year, two visitors to the Yeltsin Center Art Museum in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, noticed something unusual while viewing the artwork titled "Three Figures."

This piece was painted by Russian-born artist Anna Leporskaya over two years starting in 1932, and is characterized by three faceless heads lined up side by side. However, when the visitors discovered the artwork, eyes had been drawn on the first and third faces in the painting.

The visitors immediately informed the museum. The museum launched an investigation, which revealed that the culprit who damaged the painting was a security guard A (60) dispatched from a private security company.

It was confirmed that A committed this act on his first day at the museum. According to the museum, A reportedly felt bored during his shift and doodled on the artwork with a pen.

The exact price of the artwork has not been determined, but the insurance on the piece is known to be 75 million rubles (approximately 1.2 billion KRW).

The artwork was returned the day after the incident to its original owner, the Moscow State Tretyakov Gallery, for restoration. The restoration is estimated to cost 250,000 rubles (about 4 million KRW).

Ultimately, A was dismissed from the security company he worked for and is currently under police investigation. If found guilty, he may face fines and up to three months imprisonment.