Vandalism of art

This article is about intentional damage of art. For unintentional damage, see Accidental damage of art.

Vandalized cast of Rodin's The Thinker, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, US
A portrait of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil has been damaged in a sword attack after the 1889 military coup d'etat that overthrew the monarchy. The damaged area of the painting were left unrestored, in order to maintain the historical record.[1][2]

Vandalism of art is intentional damage of an artwork. The object, usually exhibited in public, becomes damaged as a result of the act, and remains in place right after the act. This may distinguish it from art destruction and iconoclasm, where it may be wholly destroyed and removed, and art theft, or looting.

Numerous acts of vandalism against art exhibits are known and some objects, such as Mona Lisa, Night Watch and The Little Mermaid, have been intentionally damaged several times. Many vandals were diagnosed with a mental disorder and some, such as Hans-Joachim Bohlmann, had a history of attacking artworks. A vast amount of damage consists of leaving a minor scratch, a stuck chewing gum, a pencil mark and so on, and usually escapes publicity.[3] More visible acts of vandalism were premeditated, as the tool of destruction – a knife, paint, acid or hammer – was intentionally brought to the scene. In most cases, the artworks were restored. Restorations were costly and time-consuming and in many cases were followed by shielding the artwork from future attacks.

  1. ^ "Entre vandalismo e patrimônio" (in Portuguese). 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ Rezzutti 2019, p. 32 (Caderno de imagens).
  3. ^ Gamboni, p. 191