Paul Gauguin
“Deux Tahitiannnes (Two Tahitian Women)”
1899
oil on canvas, 94 × 72.4 cm (37.01 × 28.5 in
Gauguin’s “Deux Tahitiannnes” attacked at the NGA The National Gallery of Art, Washington, has informed that on Friday, April 1 2011, a woman hit the plexiglass covering Gauguin’s ‘Two Tahitian Women’, trying to to pull it from the wall. Fortunately, initial examination indicates that the canvas has not suffered any damage.]]>
April 4, 2011. Source: NGA Washington / theartwolf
The 1899 painting, one of the most famous works by Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), is part of the exhibition “Gauguin: Maker of Myth”, on view at the NGA through June 5, 2011. The National Gallery has released the following press note, signed by Deborah Ziska:
“At approximately 4:45 pm on Friday, April 1, a woman hit the plexiglass covering the painting “Two Tahitian Women” by Paul Gauguin and attempted to pull it from the wall in the exhibition currently on view, “Gauguin: Maker of Myth.” Initial examination indicates that the painting has not suffered any damage. It is covered by plexiglass, with adequate space between the glazing and the canvas. A Gallery security officer, who was stationed nearby was the first to reach the woman. He immediately restrained and detained the woman and she was later charged with destruction of property and attempted theft, second degree. The security officer’s actions prevented any potential harm to visitors or works of art. The woman appeared in U.S. District Court on Saturday. The painting is on loan from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, which has been informed of the incident. This morning the painting was removed and taken to the Gallery’s conservation lab for further in-depth examination by conservators from both museums.”
These kind of attacks to paintings at art museums are unusual, but not unprecedented. In 2006, a painting by Helen Frankenthaler was damaged at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Sometimes, a painting is damaged by accident, as it happened in 2010 when a painting by Picasso was damaged by a student at the Metropolitan Museum.
Related Content
Gauguin: Maker of Myth. Exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gauguin in the tropics: an essay by theartwolf.com
Follow us on:
