A child’s innocent touch at Rotterdam’s Boijmans Van Beuningen museum resulted in damage to Mark Rothko’s masterpiece “Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8,” valued at $56 million, prompting international restoration efforts.
Quick Takes
- A child scratched the unvarnished paint layer of Rothko’s 1960 painting, causing superficial but visible damage.
- The artwork, worth up to €50m (£42.5m), has been removed from public display for assessment and restoration.
- Modern unvarnished paintings like Rothko’s are particularly vulnerable to damage due to complex materials and lack of protective coating.
- The museum is consulting conservation experts both domestically and internationally to determine restoration approaches.
- Museum officials remain optimistic that the painting will be displayed again after treatment.
Valuable Masterpiece Damaged in “Unguarded Moment”
In Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, a child recently damaged a Mark Rothko painting valued at up to $56 million during what officials described as an “unguarded moment.” The artwork, titled “Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8” and created in 1960, suffered superficial scratches to its lower section where the child touched the canvas. The damage, though not extensive, is particularly noticeable due to the nature of Rothko’s work, which features large blocks of solid color characteristic of his signature style.
“The painting ‘Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8’ by Mark Rothko has sustained superficial damage after a child touched the painting when it was on display,” the museum said in a statement.
Dutch curators are considering "next steps" after a child damaged a $56 million painting by American artist Mark Rothko while visiting a museum in Rotterdam. https://t.co/lO0THYhuD7
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Special Challenges in Restoring Modern Art
Restoration efforts for the damaged Rothko present unique challenges due to the nature of the artist’s materials and techniques. Conservation experts note that Rothko’s works lack the traditional protective varnish layer found on many older paintings, making them particularly vulnerable to damage. The museum has initiated consultations with art restoration specialists from both the Netherlands and abroad to determine the optimal approach for repairing the scratches.
“Sophie McAloone, the conservation manager at the Fine Art Restoration Company, said that ‘modern unvarnished’ paintings like Rothko’s Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 are ‘particularly susceptible to damage.'” Sophie McAloone
The complexity of Rothko’s artistic methods compounds the restoration challenge. His distinctive color-field painting style involves multiple layers of mixed pigments, resins, and glues that create subtle color variations and textures. This complex composition means that even superficial damage is immediately noticeable against the otherwise uniform color blocks. Museum officials face the delicate task of addressing the scratches without compromising the painting’s original appearance or artistic integrity.
A child in the Netherlands damaged a painting from abstractionist Mark Rothko worth $56 million (P3.1 billion) during a visit to the Bojimans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam. | via @philstarlife
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Implications for Public Access to Art
The incident occurred at the museum’s Depot, a publicly accessible storage facility that houses the collection while the main museum undergoes extensive renovations expected to last until at least 2030. This unfortunate event raises questions about balancing public access to valuable artworks with appropriate protection measures. For institutions considering similar open-storage concepts, the damage to the Rothko painting serves as a cautionary reminder of the risks involved when allowing visitors closer access to unprotected artworks.
“A spokesperson for the museum told the BBC the damage was ‘superficial,’ adding: ‘Small scratches are visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting.'” museum spokesperson
The museum has not disclosed details regarding who will bear the cost of repairs or whether the child’s family will face any liability. In a previous incident in 2011, the same museum billed a visitor for damaging another artwork, “Pindakaasvloer” by Wim T. Schippers. However, many institutions typically approach accidental damage caused by children with greater leniency. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, museum officials remain optimistic about the restoration prospects.
