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Mark Rothko painting at Tate Modern defaced Police hunt for Mark Rothko vandal
(about 1 hour later)
A painting by artist Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern has been defaced by a small amount of black paint, a spokeswoman for the gallery has confirmed. Police are continuing their search for a man who defaced a painting by artist Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern on Sunday.
The London gallery said one of the artist's Seagram murals was defaced at about 15:25 BST. The London gallery said one of the artist's Seagram murals was defaced by a small amount of black paint at about 15:25 BST.
Paintings by the Modernist painter, one of America's most important post-war artists, have sold for tens of millions of pounds. Works by the Modernist American painter, who died in 1970, have sold for tens of millions of pounds.
The Guardian said the vandal claimed to have increased the painting's value.
On Sunday night, the newspaper spoke to a man who identified himself as Vladimir Umanets, which appears to be the name painted on to the Rothko.
He said he was responsible for the incident at the Tate Modern and had done so in order to draw attention to what was going on in contemporary art.
"I believe that if someone restores the (Rothko) piece and removes my signature, the value of the piece would be lower but after a few years the value will go higher because of what I did," he said, comparing himself to Marcel Duchamp, the French artist who signed a urinal and called it art in 1917.
According to the Guardian, the man allegedly responsible for defacing Rothko's painting cites Duchamp's appropriation of a urinal in the name of art (Fountain, 1917) as both a context and explanation for his actions.
He probably also knew that Duchamp once doodled on a postcard depicting the Mona Lisa. That, like the urinal, became a work of art (although Duchamp had not intended it to be at the time).
Robert Rauschenberg and the Chapman Brothers are among many artists that subsequently followed the Frenchman's interventionist lead.
"I don't believe that what I have done is criminal. If the police are going to arrest me, then they are going to arrest me. I am OK with that," he added.
The gallery was shut for a short period and then reopened.The gallery was shut for a short period and then reopened.
Police are investigating the incident.
'Quick exit''Quick exit'
On Twitter, eyewitness Tim Wright said: "This guy calmly walked up, took out a marker pen and tagged it. Surreal.On Twitter, eyewitness Tim Wright said: "This guy calmly walked up, took out a marker pen and tagged it. Surreal.
"We gave a description to the gallery. Very bizarre. He sat there for a while then just went for it and made a quick exit.""We gave a description to the gallery. Very bizarre. He sat there for a while then just went for it and made a quick exit."
Mr Wright later uploaded a picture to Twitter which showed five or six words on the bottom-right corner of the painting with black streaks of paint running down from the daubed writing.Mr Wright later uploaded a picture to Twitter which showed five or six words on the bottom-right corner of the painting with black streaks of paint running down from the daubed writing.
They appear to read: "Vladimir Umanets, A Potential Piece of Yellowism."They appear to read: "Vladimir Umanets, A Potential Piece of Yellowism."
A Tate spokeswoman said: "Tate can confirm that there was an incident in which a visitor defaced one of Rothko's Seagram murals by applying a small area of black paint with a brush to the painting."A Tate spokeswoman said: "Tate can confirm that there was an incident in which a visitor defaced one of Rothko's Seagram murals by applying a small area of black paint with a brush to the painting."
Conservationist Julia Nagle said she had "every faith" the defaced painting could be restored. Conservationist Julia Nagle said on Radio 4's Today programme that she had "every faith" the defaced painting could be restored.
"The first thing you need to know is what the painting was originally made of, in order to distinguish between the solubility of what you want to get rid of and the original painting."The first thing you need to know is what the painting was originally made of, in order to distinguish between the solubility of what you want to get rid of and the original painting.
"Fortunately, in the case of Rothko, there's a massive body of research into his techiuques - and a great convservation department at Tate." "Fortunately, in the case of Rothko, there's a massive body of research into his techniques - and a great conservation department at Tate."
She added the grafitti would be "much more soluble because it is newer", meaning damage to the existing layers would be unlikely. She added the graffiti would be "much more soluble because it is newer", meaning damage to the existing layers would be unlikely.
Russian-born Rothko emigrated to the US at the age of 10, and went on to become an important post-war abstract expressionist.Russian-born Rothko emigrated to the US at the age of 10, and went on to become an important post-war abstract expressionist.
He was commissioned to paint the Seagram murals in 1958 for Manhattan's Four Seasons restaurant, but they were never installed.He was commissioned to paint the Seagram murals in 1958 for Manhattan's Four Seasons restaurant, but they were never installed.
Shortly before his death in 1970, he presented some of the murals to the Tate Gallery. Shortly before his death, he presented some of the murals to the Tate Gallery.
In May, Rothko's Orange, red, yellow was sold for $86.9 million (£53.8m) when it went under the hammer at Christie's in New York.In May, Rothko's Orange, red, yellow was sold for $86.9 million (£53.8m) when it went under the hammer at Christie's in New York.