A million-dollar painting by the late artist Anna Leporskaya was protected with additional Eyes

The painting Three Figures Without Five Senses was painted by the late artist Anna Leporskaya between 1932 and 1934 and was insured for 75 million rubles (one million dollars). The painting was displayed in an abstract art exhibition at the Boris Yeltsin Center in Ekaterinburg last December.

On the first day of work at this center, the 60-year-old security guard used a ballpoint pen to draw the eyes of the character in the picture.

(The painting is painted for the character's eyes when displayed at the Boris Yeltsin Center, Ekaterinburg city, Russia in December 2021. Photo: The Art Newspaper Russia)

The incident was discovered by two tourists on December 7, 2021, and they reported it to the gallery staff. The painting was removed from the exhibition and returned to the Tretyakov State Gallery in Moscow, which lent the painting. Experts at Tretyakov estimate the restoration work will cost 250,000 rubles (more than 3,300 USD).

The Yeltsin Center reported the incident to the police on December 20, 2021, but the Ekaterinburg interior service initially denied the allegation because the damage was considered "negligible". The Ekaterinburg Cultural Administration then lodged a complaint with the prosecutor general's office. Police last week announced that they had opened an investigation, and the suspect faced the risk of fines and three months in prison. After the incident, the Yeltsin Center installed shields to protect the remaining works in the exhibition.

(Picture of the picture before the eyes were drawn)

Alexander Drozdov, executive director of the Yeltsin Center, did not identify the guard but said he worked for a private security company and was fired. "His motives are unknown at this time, but management believes it was reckless behavior," Reshetkina said. The security guard did not use too much force when drawing the eyes, so in general the painting was not seriously damaged and could be restored. This is not the first time paintings have been vandalized in Russia. In 2019, a man was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after ripping a painting in Tretyakov.

Anna Leporskaya was born in 1900 and died in 1982, a student of the famous Russian painter Kazimir Malevich. In addition to the Tretyakov Gallery, her works are displayed in the collection of the Russian Museum.