Eighty-three years after its creation, Pablo Picasso's painting Woman in Red Armchair had an unexpected update after a visitor to the Houston gallery where it hangs spray-painted a bull and the word "Conquista" on to it.
According a the video of the incident on YouTube, local artist Uriel Landeros was responsible for the "dedication" and police are investigating. It's not the first time Picasso has been similarly "updated". In 1974, his masterpiece Guernica, had the words "Kill Lies All" spray-painted onto it by the now leading art dealer, Tony Shafrazi. Marcel Duchamp's 1917 work, Fountain – consisting of a urinal laid flat – is one of the most popular for aspiring artists hoping to add to a classic piece (usually by attempting to urinate into it).
Two who had a go, Yuan Cai and Jian Jun Xi, have form for such pranks.
In 1999, they threw themselves into the artist Tracey Emin's My Bed, for a spot of horseplay. They, like the graffiti on the Picassos, were swiftly removed.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments