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Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903), Two Tahitian Women, 1899, oil on canvas, from the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949.

Report: Gauguin painting attacked at National Gallery

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903), Two Tahitian Women, 1899, oil on canvas, from the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949.
Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903), Two Tahitian Women, 1899, oil on canvas, from the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A painting by French impressionist Paul Gauguin displayed at the National Gallery was attacked last week by a gallery visitor, The Washington Post reported late Sunday.

The newspaper quoted gallery spokeswoman Deborah Ziska as saying that no damage to the priceless 1899 painting, “Two Tahitian Women,” was immediately apparent after the Friday incident. But Ziska said a more thorough examination of the painting will be conducted Monday, the paper noted.

During the incident, the woman visitor struck the painting and attempted to pull it from the wall, The Post said. The woman was immediately restrained and detained by the museum’s security and charged with destruction of property and attempted theft.

Washington resident Ellen Goldstein, who was visiting the exhibit, was quoted by The Post as saying the incident “was a scary, scary thing for everyone who was there.”

The attacker, who has not been identified, appeared in court on Saturday, the paper said.

The painting, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is part of a Gauguin exhibit that opened at the National Gallery in February, according to the report.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903), Two Tahitian Women, 1899, oil on canvas, from the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949.
Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903), Two Tahitian Women, 1899, oil on canvas, from the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949.