The damaged artwork, with the spray paint barely dry, was rushed down the hall to the museum's conservation lab, where chief conservator Brad Epley quickly began its repair. The museum is confirming an act of vandalism against a painting produced in 1929 by the Spanish master Pablo Picasso. The vandal, who has not been identified officially, stenciled a small image of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word "Conquista" on the painting. Meantime, Houston Police confirm the case is under very active investigation as "criminal mischief," a crime carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail. "Woman in Red Arm Chair" has been a part of the Menil collection since 1956. It has been displayed often since the Menil Collection opened in 1987 and has been loaned to other museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
– Police in Houston are searching for a vandal who spray-painted a Picasso painting. The man was captured on camera using a stencil to paint an image of a bull and the word "Conquista" on the Spanish master's 1929 "Woman in a Red Armchair," reports the Houston Chronicle. A bystander who videoed the man in action says the vandal identified himself as an up-and-coming Mexican-American artist who wanted to "honor" Picasso's work. The painting, one of nine Picassos in Houston's Menil collection, was rushed to the museum's on-site conservation lab and experts say the prognosis is good. "The most important thing is to get the painting to full health, which is happening," a museum spokesman tells Fox. "All the spray paint has been removed. It is in the right hospital. The painting now needs to rest." If the vandal is caught, he will face a charge of criminal mischief with a maximum penalty of two years in prison.