What do we currently know about the mega-vandalism at Berlin museums?

A few more details are beginning to leak out about the mega-vandalism that affected three Berlin museums (the Pergamon Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, and the Neues Museum): 70 works of art were sprayed with an oily liquid that allegedly left marks on the objects. It is, authorities said, the most extensive damage to Berlin’s heritage since the postwar period-“a painful experience that we did not expect,” called it Friederike Seyfried, director of the Egyptian Museum Berlin, which is housed in the Neues Museum.

Meanwhile, no major works were damaged: the action mainly affects works deemed minor. In addition, soon after Oct. 3 (the date the damage occurred, but the authorities only released the news this morning) restorers from the Staatliche Museen Berlin set to work to identify the substance thrown on the works. Still, the amount of damage has not been quantified at this time. Berlin’s Landeskriminalamt (State Criminal Police) also re-contacted all visitors who had purchased tickets for a visit on Oct. 3 in order to ask for their cooperation. LKA chief Carsten Pfohl let it be known that the action probably occurred during museum opening hours (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). It appears that the liquid (at the moment the authorities have not released further details about its composition so as not to hinder the investigation) was sprayed with a small object, for example, a spray bottle, or a water pistol, or even a clown flower, the kind you pin to your chest to spray water as a joke.

In the first hours rumors circulated that the action might have been carried out or suggested by a right-wing extremist who had written ranting posts against the Pergamon Museum in recent days on social media: however, Pfohl branded these suspicions as “speculation,” and said that for the moment the motives for the act were unclear. It could also be, investigators suggested, the action of a deranged person.

Image: the Altar of Zeus at the Pergamon Museum. The work would not have been affected by the damage. Ph. Raimond Spekking

What do we currently know about the mega-vandalism at Berlin museums?

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.