MOSCOW, May 29 (RAPSI, Nikolay Merkulov) – The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow on Tuesday detained Igor Podporin charged with attack on Ilya Repin’s painting “Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan 16 November 1581” at the Tretyakov Gallery until July 26, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.
The court granted investigators’ motion while Podporin’s defense asked it for a noncustodial measure of restraint.
The defendant pleaded guilty in court. If convicted he could face up to 6 years in prison.
The incident took place on Friday evening just five minutes before the museum’s closing, the Tretyakov Gallery’s press service said. The man ran into the empty hall of works by Repin and bashed the painting using a metal stanchion. Podporin broke through the glass encasing the well-known work of art depicting the horrified tsar and his dying son and ripped the canvas in multiple places, the statement reads.
According to case papers, damage caused by Podporin is estimated at around 500,000 rubles ($8,000); the restoration cost will range from 5 to 10 million rubles ($80,000 – 160,000).