A man in his 20s has been charged in Cork after soup was thrown on a piece of art at the city’s Crawford Art Gallery.
The artwork, a drawing of a skeletal figure by artist George Atkinson, was enameled and suffered no long-term damage.
It was on display in the Modern Gallery on the top floor of the Crawford Art Gallery when the incident occurred around 5 p.m. from yesterday.
The Crawford Art Gallery said the man was held until Gardaí arrived.
Gardaí say the man was arrested, detained and taken to Bridewell Garda station. He has since been charged and is due to appear in Cork District Court on November 23.
The Crawford Art Gallery said a thorough cleaning of George Atkinson’s work, Anatomical Study, and the surrounding wall was required.
Hopefully the artwork will go back on display later today.
The motive for the attack is unknown and no reason was given to staff in the stands.
The Crawford Art Gallery remained open during the incident. The Galleria Moderna on the top floor was closed for a short time, but has since reopened.
Numerous guided tours of the gallery were organized last night after the accident.
According to RTE, gallery director Mary McCarthy said: “The Crawford Art Gallery remains committed to keeping the gallery open and accessible to all our audiences, seven days a week. We would like to assure the public and our visitors that we continue to remain vigilant and to look after the artworks of the National Collection in our care. We will work quickly to have the work back on display.”
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