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Gainsborough Painting Is Attacked at National Gallery in London Gainsborough Painting Is Attacked at National Gallery in London
(about 2 hours later)
LONDON — A 63-year-old man attacked an 18th-century oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough with a sharp object at the National Gallery in London over the weekend, slashing through layers of paint but leaving the canvas underneath intact, the museum said.LONDON — A 63-year-old man attacked an 18th-century oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough with a sharp object at the National Gallery in London over the weekend, slashing through layers of paint but leaving the canvas underneath intact, the museum said.
The Metropolitan Police identified the attacker as Keith Gregory, saying in a statement that he had slashed Gainsborough’s “Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett,” also known as “The Morning Walk,” on Saturday in the east wing of the museum, which is dedicated to old master paintings. The Metropolitan Police identified the attacker as Keith Gregory, saying in a statement that he had slashed Gainsborough’s “Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett,” also known as “The Morning Walk,” on Saturday in the east wing of the museum, which is dedicated to paintings by old masters.
The wing, which was evacuated after the attack, reopened within two hours. The painting was removed from display.The wing, which was evacuated after the attack, reopened within two hours. The painting was removed from display.
Mr. Gregory, who has no fixed address, was charged on Sunday with “causing criminal damage,” and was to appear in court on Monday morning.Mr. Gregory, who has no fixed address, was charged on Sunday with “causing criminal damage,” and was to appear in court on Monday morning.
The painting depicts a fashionable couple walking with their dog. Gainsborough completed the work in 1785, three years before his death. The artist, who was born in Surrey, England, is best known for the portrait “The Blue Boy,” now part of the collection of the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif.The painting depicts a fashionable couple walking with their dog. Gainsborough completed the work in 1785, three years before his death. The artist, who was born in Surrey, England, is best known for the portrait “The Blue Boy,” now part of the collection of the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif.
This was not the first painting to be damaged at the museum: In 1914, a woman took a meat cleaver to Diego Velázquez’s “Rokeby Venus” to protest the arrest of the suffragist leader Emmeline Pankhurst.This was not the first painting to be damaged at the museum: In 1914, a woman took a meat cleaver to Diego Velázquez’s “Rokeby Venus” to protest the arrest of the suffragist leader Emmeline Pankhurst.
Accidents also happen at London museums. The British Museum confirmed in October that a caterer had accidentally knocked the thumb off the Townley Venus, a 2,000-year-old marble statue; the thumb has since been reattached.Accidents also happen at London museums. The British Museum confirmed in October that a caterer had accidentally knocked the thumb off the Townley Venus, a 2,000-year-old marble statue; the thumb has since been reattached.