A visitor lacerated a painting by Picasso worth US $ 8 million at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam on May 16th 1999. The Picasso painting “Naked woman in a front of a garden” measuring 162 x 130 cm, painted in Cannes in 1956 and representing Jacqueline Rocque, the future wife of the painter, suffered a huge hole made by a kitchen knife.
The man, already known by police, had escaped from a psychiatric detention centre where he was held after having tried to hijack a KLM plane in 1978.
After damaging the painting badly he visited the editorial offices of the daily De Telegraaf where he told journalists that he had lacerated the Picasso painting.
“It was so easy”, he added.
The man has also been suspected of being responsible for the damages suffered by Rembrandt's famous painting Watch patrol when someone threw a bottle of acid at it in 1990 but such information has not been confirmed by Dutch justice yet.
The Picasso painting was not protected by a glass or some other device and Museum officials said no measures would be taken to prevent the public from having normal access to the works exhibited at the Stedelijk. “We do not want to penalise the 500 000 visitors who pay a visit to the museum each year,” they said.
However, new technologies aimed at reinforcing security will probably be installed in the near future.
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