In a nerve-wracking moment that has the art world buzzing, a child scratched one of Mark Rothko’s most valuable paintings at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam this spring, leaving visible damage to the multi-million dollar masterpiece.
The artwork, titled “Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8,” suffered “a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer” when a child touched the lower part of the work during what museum officials described as an “unsupervised moment.” The incident occurred at the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, where the painting was on display as part of the exhibition Lievelingen.
With the museum’s main building closed for renovations until at least 2030, seventy of the collection’s most popular pieces have been showcased in the adjacent Depot, ranging from Pieter Bruegel to Salvador Dalí—and now, unfortunately, a damaged Rothko.
Art experts estimate the painting’s value between 40 and 50 million euros (approximately $56 million), making this mishap particularly painful for the museum. Prominent Dutch art collector Bert Kreuk previously noted that this particular Rothko would likely fetch between 40 and 50 million euros if sold, explaining that “A Rothko with three colors is always worth more than a Rothko with two colors.”
Museum curators are working with restoration specialists to assess the damage and determine how to proceed. “We are currently investigating, in collaboration with experts, what the next steps for treatment are. We expect that the work can be shown again in the future,” the museum shared in a statement to U.K. newspaper The Times.
The museum has not disclosed who will cover repair costs or the identity of the child and parents involved in the incident. Typically, museums hold visitors financially responsible for damage, claiming costs through the individual’s insurance. In this case, the identity of the child and the parents is known, but Boijmans declined to comment further.
This isn’t the first time priceless art has fallen victim to accidental damage at this museum. In 2011, multiple visitors accidentally stepped on the Peanut Butter Platform display, tracking the peanut butter across the floor. The museum asked those responsible to cover cleanup costs.
Rothko, who died in 1970, is considered one of the most significant abstract expressionist painters of the 20th century. His distinctive color field paintings—recognizable for their rectangularly shaped floating forms and thin washes of color—regularly sell for tens of millions at auction. His highest-selling work fetched $86.9 million in 2012 for his piece “Orange, Red, Yellow.”
Art lovers hoping to see the damaged masterpiece will need to wait while restoration experts determine how to heal the Rothko’s wounds, but museum officials remain optimistic about eventually returning the painting to public view.
