Multi-million pound Basquiat painting defaced in Paris museum

A multi-million pound painting by one of the world's first star graffiti artists has been defaced by an attacker brandishing a felt tip pen.

'Cadillac Moon 1981', one of the best known works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, was scribbled on while under heavy guard at Paris's Modern Art Museum (MAM).

The attack is another huge embarrassment to the gallery, from where paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Leger and Mogigliani worth more than £100million were stolen just six months ago.

'Cadillac Moon 1981' is of such an abstract nature that it took at least a few days for experts to notice the graffiti.

The painting had been on permanent exhibition at the gallery since October 15 but has now been taken down while a full criminal enquiry takes place.

'The restorer of the exhibition noticed the work has been slightly marked with a pen,' said director Fabrice Hergott.

'It was one of the best protected works in the exhibition. There is a permanent guard, as there is with all exhibitions, but we had a special reinforcement of guards for this one.'

A spokesman for Paris City Hall, which helped put on the exhibition, said : ' Police were alerted on Monday but we cannot say exactly when it was defaced. We have told the lender that the work has been removed.'

Basquiat, who died in 1988 at the age of just 27 from a heroin overdose, was the first American graffiti artist of African descent to become an international art star.

His neo-expressionist paintings drew inspiration from the illegal art scene in New York City, where Basquiat began spraying buildings in Lower Manhatten in the late 70s under the pseudonym Samo.

Basquiat took part in a number of pop art collaborations with celebrities including the British rock star David Bowie.

Following his death Basquiat was hailed as one of the greatest modern artists of his genre, and his paintings now fetch massive prices. One, Profit I, fetched more than 4 million pounds at auction in 2002.

A constant problem with pieces produced by graffiti artists is that they are anti-establishment by nature and so liable to be attacked by fans.

The MAM gallery in Paris has now ordered another security review. On May 19th this year professional art thieves broke in and got away with a haul of world-famous paintings which remain missing. 'We have had no luck, it's a black period,' said director Mr Hergott.

(Published by Daily Mail - November 11, 2010)