Why do people attack art?
Since someone recently attacked the Mona Lisa with a hot cup of tea… yes, tea, the idea of art attacks has been on the minds of many people in the art world. TEA? JEEZ.So why do people really attack art? No, we dont just mean NEA hatin’ wackos. We mean why do people actually physically attack famous works of art?
Well, Martin Gayford has written a short history of famous attacks on works of art.
He notes that most attacks are because people want to strike out at the countries that hold these works dear as symbols of national pride. Other attackers are just plain nuts.
And some attackers deface famous works because they want to make a political statement.
This article also brings up the fact that in the US it is illegal for anyone who buys a work of art to willingly destroy it. Doing so violates the US Federal Visual Artist Rights Act or VARA. Read more about VARA here.
If someone, crazy or not, decides to alter or even destroy your work without your expressed permission, you should certainly take them to court. Thankfully, in these matters, the law is on the artist’s side.
The Mona Lisa, courtesy of Musée du Louvre, Paris
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