Girlspytravel

Ugly, Ugly Ugly. As the French Culture Minister said, with emotion, an "attack on our patrimony"- I would add, an attack on the world's patrimony:

The tear, although repairable is clearly visible:

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/071007/4...c33f4c72b7d7fc

cigalechanta

Yes, I read that earlier. It is really sad to hear when something so loved is destroyed for no good reason.
I suspect someone with an empty life.
We had a big art theft here in Boston at the Gardner museum. (many years ago) Never recovered and to this day, empty frames remain on the walls as a reminder. The case is still open.

Viajero2

Shocking, sad, awful.

lynnejoel1015

that's terrible. who would do such a thing, and why?

i just don't get people sometimes.

Michael

Maybe they were inspired by a scene from <i>Le Souffle au Coeur</i>.

marginal_margiela

Probably mental illness, sweetie darling.

Mimi, Jennifer goes to the Gardner museum a couple times a week for lunch as she is getting her MA from Simmons College. I just love the courtyard of the Gardner, don't you?

Did you see the photo of Anna Piaggi in the Sartorialist? She is photographed in the July 2007 blog.

Polly Magoo

cigalechanta

Hi Marginal, Lol, I mentioned on the Satorialist today! what a contrast, Carine and Ann Piaggi together in today's photo. Th Gardner is must to see not just the paintings but her jewelry and objects'd'art.
I pray the D'Orsay catches those trou anes.

cigalechanta

OOPs, not the Satorialist but on the Carine thread. thread on the Fashion Spot.

artlover

This is just so pathetic. I can't understand how anyone could do such a thing. Of course there's a lot going on in the world that I don't understand.
Very sad.

kerouac

It was a drunken group of teenagers -- 4 boys and 1 girl. Age at which the brain is sometimes completely disconnected.

Girlspytravel

Really! Parisian teenagers? That seems difficult to believe, if so.

kerouac

<b>the intruders, believed to be four men and a woman, appeared drunk and “left various bits of filth” before “one of them stuck a fist into the magnificent masterpiece by Monet.”
</b>

Girlspytravel

Well where do you get the &quot;teenagers&quot; bit from that?

kerouac

The TV news says teenagers.

kerouac

(naturally, nobody has verified their birthdates on their identity papers yet)

Girlspytravel

So they were drunk, and bored, and one of them decided to stick a fist into a work of priceless art-hmmm. this sounds a bit like the crazy monk who set fire to Kinkakuji (the incredibily beautiful Golden Pavilion temple set in the middle of Mirror Pond in Kyoto) in the 1950's-he couldn't stand the beauty of it, so he had to destroy it.

tomassocroccante

What's also rather shameful (and I imagine heads will roll) is that these troublemakers broke in - they were able to do this fairly easily? In a door, alarm sounds, mess about a bit, vandalize a priceless art work (but let's say tens of millions of Euro) and get out with only cameras witnessing - no guards.

Then again, a man sleeping on the street in NY last week was set afire by some brainless thug. The painting will heal more easily.

Girlspytravel

I wonder if they were native French Parisians-I would find that difficult to believe.

fishee

And why would that be so hard to believe?

kerouac

Are you thinking that suburban youth would be drunk during the holy month of Ramadan, girlspytravel? Perhaps immigrants living in Argenteuil? They must have been lost then, because the 7th arrondissement is so out of their territory, they probably couldn't even find it on a map -- Les Halles or St Michel would be as close as they'd get.

But let's allow the police to do their work and not point fingers yet.

In any case, the Orsay has announced that this (approx) 20 million euro painting will be repaired and back on display within 30 days.