Evidently a 12 year old decided to stick a chewed wad of Wrigley’s Extra Polar Ice gum on Helen Frankenthaler’s abstract painting titled “The Bay,” valued at an estimated 1.5 million dollars. The gum left a quarter sized stain in the left bottom corner of the 7 foot square canvas. The museum’s conservation department is going to research the chemical makeup of the gum to determine the best cleaning method.
A couple of thoughts…
How does a 12 year old with a mouth full of chewing gum get that close to a 1.5 million dollar painting?
- There are one or more people whose job is to research the chemical makeup of Wrigley’s Extra Polar Ice Gum AND they are VERY serious about it.
- Wrigley’s marketing department should take advantage. I can already see the print ad, tv commercial, and website in my mind.
- Is it really worth the trouble to repair?
Just put a sign with a little arrow pointing to the stain with the whole story. Maybe get an attendance boost to the museum.
- How much money will be wasted to remove it.
- And lastly, I don’t see how you could mess it up anyway. It already looks like a big ol’ piece of chewed up bubble gum.
moreover — abstract art … few can understand and I usually don’t appreciate it. With a flinging action, the child could hurl it onto the painting. I know that if my child did it I would high tail it out of there disavowing any knowledge of it.
$1.5 million … skip that!