CHILD DAMAGES $57 MILLION PAINTING

A child in the Netherlands damaged a painting worth nearly $57 million. The painting was abstract expressionist Mark Rothko’s “Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8,” which was on display at the Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam. The painting is about 7 feet square. There’s a big gray rectangle, below that is a smaller orange rectangle, and both sit on a purple background (which the artist called “Maroon.” According to the museum, “Small scratches are visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting.” Restoration efforts are underway, but the museum has not given an estimate for how much that could cost. It’s not clear whether anyone will be held liable.
* Or if anyone really cares. Two rectangles? Come on.
* Turn the painting upside-down. The scratches will be up top where nobody can see them, and no one will notice that it’s upside down.
* A big gray rectangle, a smaller orange rectangle, a purple background. Imagine how big Bob Ross could have been if he’d painted stuff like this.
* Ironically, the value of the painting just went up another $10 million because it is now “the Rothko painting that was damaged.”