When lovers of art attend a museum or gallery, they typically admire the artwork and do not touch it.
However, a South Korean couple mistakenly thought they were allowed to paint on a $500,000 American artwork, reports Reuters.
“They thought they were allowed to do that as participatory art and made a mistake,” Kang Wook, the head of the exhibition at Seoul’s Lotte World Mall, said.
The Lotte World Mall is where the accidental vandalism happened. JonOne, a Paris-based artist, painted the 95-by-275-inch piece which was damaged. The piece was valued at half a million dollars. The artist’s work was created in 2016 in front of an audience in Seoul.
Paint cans and brushes from the performance are displayed in front of the painting and are considered part of its creation.
Police reviewed the security footage before arresting the couple at the mall. Wook confirmed that the gallery decided not to charge the couple because it seemed like an honest mistake.
Kook said that the gallery was currently in discussions with the artist about whether they will restore it.
After the incident, the gallery made sure to put up a wire fence and added signs that said, “Do Not Touch.”
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