Vija Celmins Roni Horn Hedge Fund Cheat Bought Hundreds of Artworks £125M National Art Collection to Tour the U.K. Artists Raise Money for MOCA the Old-Fashioned Way Vija Celmins Wins Roswitha Haftmann Prize Damaged Celmins Painting Belongs to Chicago Museum Guard Damages Painting with Key

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The damaged painting is Night Sky #2, an oil on canvas worth an estimated $1.2 million that was on loan to the Pittsburgh museum from the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the 2008 Carnegie International. The AIC succeeded in repairing the work at a cost of $5,000, but prosecutors are estimating that it has lost as much as $240,000 in value because of the vandalism. They are seeking compensation from Serebrykov.

James Sheets, Serebrykov's attorney, said that he contests the $240,000 compensation figure and will fight to lower it. "It's going to take him a lifetime to pay that back," said Sheets. He added that he will ask the judge for a sentence of probation, rather than jail time, because his client has no former criminal record.

Serebrykov, who accepts responsibility for his action, was reported at the time as saying that he didn't like the painting. He has been seeking mental health treatment since his arrest and will be sentenced on April 7.