A vandal has been caught on camera slashing a painting worth almost $US4 million at an art gallery in the upscale town of Aspen, Colorado, in what appears to be a targeted attack.
Aspen Police released CCTV footage of the vandal – who appears to be a bearded man, and is disguised by a hat and sunglasses – walking into the Opera Gallery at around 4pm on Tuesday.
The painting vandalised was Untitled 2004, a wall-sized work by New York artist Christopher Wool, that had reportedly been sold on consignment for $3.8 million.
Gallery owner Gregory Lahmi told local media that he had “no idea” why that particular work was chosen, but claimed to have received three suspicious phone calls asking if the gallery had a Christopher Wool painting.
The attack took approximately 15 seconds, and police believe a knife or razor was used. The vandal paid “no attention” to other works in the gallery, including a Pablo Picasso, further pointing to the likelihood of a targeted attack.
The offender remains at large, but you can view CCTV footage of the attack below:
Source: 9 News.
Photo: Supplied.
