Boy, 12, trip, accidentally rips hole into $1.5m centuries-old painting at exhibition

A 12-year-old boy in Taiwan accidentally ripped a hole into a 350-year-old painting by Baroque artist Paolo Porpora that's worth over $1.5 million, according to the exhibition's organizers showcasing the painting. The boy was caught on security footage this past Sunday at "The Face of Leonardo, Images of a Genius" exhibition in Taipei, according to the exhibition's Facebook page.

The video shows the 12-year-old tripping over a rope barrier and trying to catch his balance on the 17th-century oil painting titled "Flowers." He accidentally punches a hole the size of a fist into the painting and looks around, apparently in shock, when he gets up.

The painting, 6.5 feet tall, was being restored on Monday by a Taiwanese art restorer before it was shipped back to Italy, according to Sun Chi-hsuan, the head of exhibition co-organizer TST Art of Discovery Co., Taiwanese news network Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

The exhibition was also temporarily closed Monday morning but reopened in the afternoon, during which an 80-centimeter distance was maintained between each painting and visitors, Sun said.

The boy who accidentally damaged the painting was very nervous, but curator Andrea Rossi asked that the boy not be blamed and that the family not be asked to pay for the cost of the restoration, CNA reported. The station added that an insurance company would cover restoration costs and compensate the owner of the painting.

"All 55 paintings in the venue are authentic pieces and they are very rare and precious," read a post on the exhibition's official Facebook page. "Once these works are damaged, they are permanently damaged... We hope that everyone can protect these precious artworks with us."

"The Face of Leonardo, Images of a Genius" exhibition is showcasing 50 original paintings by prominent artists from the Italian Renaissance period to the 20th century, according to the exhibition's website.

NBC