A prized painting by Mark Rothko on display in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam was damaged by a child who made “small scratches” on its surface. The work, titled Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960), is housed in the Depot, a storage facility that is open to the public and located next to the main building.
The incident occurred during an “unguarded moment,” the museum told the Dutch news outlet Algemeen Dagblad, which said the painting was worth as much as €50 million (roughly $57 million). According to a press statement from the institution, the work sustained superficial but visible damage to the unvarnished paint layer in the lower section of the canvas.
“We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting. We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,” the museum said. Conservation expertise has reportedly been sought by the museum within and outside the Netherlands.
The museum did not indicate who would be responsible for the cost of repairs to the work, but did add in its statement: “Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen provides no information on the valuation of the painting, the possible costs associated with the conservation of the painting or the further handling of this matter. Images of the damage will not be circulated.”
However, the museum said it expects that “the work will be able to be shown again in the future.”