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According to the Daily Mail, a bored security guard doodled on the 'Three Figures' (1932–1934) painting on December 7th at the Yeltsin Center gallery.

Yeltsin Center is located in Yekaterinburg City in western Russia. The painting was on loan from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The artwork was featured in an art exhibition called “The World as Non-Objectivity: The Birth of a New Art.” And the artist, Anna Leporskaya, who painted the abstract masterpiece died in 1982. She was a student of Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich.

A bored security guard fired

A gallery investigation revealed that a 60-year-old man working for a private security company was responsible for the damage. The Yeltsin Center released a statement explaining what happened.

It was his first day on the job, and a bored security guard was responsible for the damage.

The Yeltsin Center said in a statement released on Tuesday:

 'We inform you that during the investigation, the person who painted the eyes on the figures in the painting by Anna Leporskaya was identified - this is an employee of a private security organization that carries out security activities of the Yeltsin Center.” 

“Recall that on December 7, 2021, during the demonstration of the exhibition 'The World as non-Objectiveness. The Birth of a New Art' in the Art Gallery of the Yeltsin Center suffered a painting by Anna Leporskaya 'Three Figures' (1932–1934) from the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. “

“The damage was done with a ballpoint pen.”

The Center added that 'The work was inspected by the restorer of the State Tretyakov Gallery the very next day and sent to Moscow. The painting is being restored, the damage, according to the expert, can be eliminated without consequences for the work of art. 

“The Yeltsin Center refrained from commenting on this situation in hot pursuit, as an internal investigation of the incident and interaction with law enforcement agencies were underway.”  

It was also reported that the security company would pay for the restoration.

Although The value of the painting is uncertain, it was insured with the Alfa insurance company for RUB 74.9 million (GBP 740,000) approximately 1 million in US dollars.