Boy Sticks Gum on $1.5M Painting

Tue Feb 28, 7:40 PM ET

DETROIT - A 12-year-old visitor to the Detroit Institute of Arts stuck a wad of gum to a $1.5 million painting, leaving a stain the size of a quarter, officials say.

The boy was part of a school group from Holly that visited the museum on Friday, officials say. They say he took a piece of Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice gum out of his mouth and stuck it on Helen Frankenthaler's "The Bay," an abstract painting from 1963.

The museum acquired the work in 1965 and says it is worth about $1.5 million.

The gum stuck to the painting's lower left corner and did not adhere to the fiber of the canvas, officials told the Detroit Free Press. But it left a chemical residue about the size of a quarter, said Becky Hart, assistant curator of contemporary art.

The museum's conservation department is researching the chemicals in the gum to decide which solvent to use to clean it. The museum hopes to make the repair in two weeks and will keep "The Bay" on display in the meantime, she said.

"Our expectation is that the painting is going to be fine," Hart said.

Holly Academy director Julie Kildee said the boy had been suspended from the charter school and says his parents also have disciplined him.

"Even though we give very strict guidelines on proper behavior and we hold students to high standards, he is only 12 and I don't think he understood the ramifications of what he did before it happened, but he certainly understands the severity of it now," said Kildee.

why would they have a 1.5 million dollar painting just sitting there without any glass in the frame or anything? this story sounds really unbelievable.

i would think they would have poles with ropes at least... like at the bank...
or security guards, one in every room? who knows.

kids are squirmy.. easily under the ropes the could go and stick stick!

I never liked abstract paintings. I'd actually pay him to do this to a couple of other paintings too.

Most paintings aren't behind glass or ropes. They shouldn't have to be either. A civilized society should be respectfull enough to keep their grubby hands off the masterpiece. Even if you don't like the piece defacing it would be rude and vulgar (just like that rotten child).

I'd say he need a proper thrashing at the hands of the teacher. In front of the class. They need to make an example out of him.

Well, most old paintings are made from lead and other low quality paint that deteriorates over time and signifigantly more so when exposed to ultraviolet light and oxygen, etc., things like that. It's actually not a good idea to have a painting without some kind of protection if you want to keep it in good condition, even a modern day one.

Fucking Detroit.

i'd hate to be this guy

Vase Breaker Banned From Museum

A British museum visitor who tripped on his shoelace and shattered three 300-year-old Chinese vases called it a "regrettable accident" Monday, adding that he has been indefinitely banned from returning to the museum.

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge said last week that a visitor broke the Qing dynasty vases when he stumbled down a stairway and brought the vases crashing to the floor.

"I snagged my shoelace, missed the step and crash, bang, wallop. There were a million pieces of high quality Qing ceramics lying around underneath me," said Nick Flynn, 42, of Fowlmere, a village near Cambridge about 50 miles north of London.

"I have a few household accidents, maybe drop a cup or two or smash a plate, but nothing like this has ever happened to me before," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

The vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, were donated to the museum in 1948 and were among its best-known artifacts. They had been sitting on a window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.

The museum did not identify Flynn, but he was tracked down by British newspapers.

He said the fall had been a "regrettable accident" but he was surprised the artifacts — reported to be worth $175,000 — had been left on an open window ledge.

"I thought they might take a little bit better care of them," he told the BBC.

Flynn said he received a letter from Fitzwilliam director Duncan Robinson "not to visit the museum again in the near future."

The museum has said that it would try to put the vases back together.

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"I snagged my shoelace, missed the step and crash, bang, wallop. There were a million pieces of high quality Qing ceramics lying around underneath me."
Nick Flynn

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He said the fall had been a "regrettable accident" but he was surprised the artifacts — reported to be worth $175,000 — had been left on an open window ledge.

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WHY THE HELL WERE THEY SITTING BY THE STAIRS!!!! dont these people know that stairs are the most dangerous things ever for some people? like ME??

For the first story...it upsets me. Its bad enough that we America are getting a bad rep around the world because of some of the things we do (War, pollute, etc.) but then hearing that a 12 yr old kid does that in a museum just seems to add on. Even though I agree with mmmcherry that there should have been some restrictions to get to the painting, the boy should have known at least some...social manners. (In which toe cutter said very well…go toe!)

For the guy tripping and breaking not 1 but 3 vases that were very old and valuable, that’s interesting to read. Agreeing with mmmcherry again, don’t put vases around the stairs that’s an accident waiting to happen. Maybe at least the vases could have something to hold them into place better so at least someone couldn’t knock them over or have been a little higher than people on a ledge to at least be nice to look at but not so close that something this would happen. (Or a 12 yr old putting gum on them) As for what happened, that guy is lucky. He destroyed 3 vases worth $175k and ran from the scene and all he got was a letter saying don’t come back. No fines, jail time, etc. He should at least make an attempt to make wrongs right. Just my opinion.

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Originally Posted by Toe Cutter

I'd say he need a proper thrashing at the hands of the teacher. In front of the class. They need to make an example out of him.

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off with his head!!!

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Maybe at least the vases could have something to hold them into place better so at least someone couldn’t knock them over

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the kid maybe should have stuck his gum to the bottom of the vases... vases=stuck to the shelf=cant fall over! :D

hah... ew...

HEADLINES OF TODAY...12 yr old boy defaces painting but saves 3 vases using same method used in painting incident. lol

heh im sure the vases would be easier to clean than the painting!!

oh my god that kid is so punk rock :buttrock:

lol ive always wanted to say that