Poussin - It's all going to be ok!
July 18 2011
Here's a statement from the National Gallery:
At 5.08pm on Saturday 16 July 2011, a panic alarm was set off in Room 19 of the National Gallery. A Gallery Assistant acted promptly and triggered the alarm after observing a person appearing to spray two of the paintings in the room with an aerosol can.
The police were called at 5.10pm and arrived at the National Gallery at 5.19pm. A man has been arrested.
The two paintings involved are both by Nicholas Poussin, The Adoration of the Golden Calf (1633-4) and The Adoration of the Shepherds (1633-4). Both works are part of the National Gallery permanent collection.
Prompt action by Conservation staff has ensured very little damage was sustained by the two works.
They will be returned to display in Room 19 of the National Gallery on Monday 18 July 2011.
What a relief. And three cheers for the National Gallery's conservation staff for saving the day.
I wonder what paint the vandal used. If normal spray paint, of the type you use for your car, then one presumes it would have been very difficult to avoid serious damage to the original layers beneath. Perhaps (although I know it is dangerous to speculate) a far less harmful type of spray was used.
Either way, the culprit should be strongly punished as a deterrent. We cannot risk similar pranks in future, just for publicity. And of course, it is worth mentioning that vandalising old paintings is being done these days in the name of contemporary art, by the likes of Banksy. The problem is, if the 'damage' sustained was not serious, and amounts to less than £5000, then the maximum sentence is just three months and a fine of £2,500. It is conceivable, therefore, that whoever did this could get away with a very light punishment for his 15 minutes of fame.
