Police arrest man who vandalised Ivan the Terrible painting

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MOSCOW: Russian police said they arrested a man for vandalising one of the best known works of 19th century painter Ilya Repin, depicting Ivan the Terrible killing his son, at a gallery in Moscow.

Police said the man used a metal pole to break the glass covering Repin’s world famous painting of the 16th century Russian Tsar, titled ‘Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan on Nov 16, 1581.’ The Tretyakov Gallery said the work was ‘seriously damaged’ as a result.

“The canvas has been ripped in three place in the central part of the Tsar’s son. The original frame suffered from the breaking of the glass,” the gallery said in a statement.

“Thankfully the most valuable part was not damaged,” it added, referring to the face and hands of the Tsar and his son, the Tsarevich.

The statement added that the incident took place late on Friday, just before the museum closed.

“The man entered the already empty Ilya Repin room. He bypassed staff who were scanning the rooms before the closing, and hit the glass of the painting several times with a metal pole,” the gallery said.

Russian state news agency TASS reported the man, a 37 year-old from the central city of Voronezh, did so for ‘historical reasons.’

Police later released a video of the man, who said he acted under the influence of alcohol.

“I came to look at it (the painting). I went to the buffet in the evening, I wanted to leave. Then I drank 100 grams of vodka. I don’t drink vodka and something hit me,” the man said.

Ultra patriotic groups have protested against the painting before, notably in 2013 when monarchists demanded for it to be removed from the gallery.  The gallery refused to remove it and reinforced security around the work. — AFP