Celmins painting slasher sentenced in Pittsburgh

Remember last year when a former guard at the Carnegie Museum of Art slashed a Vija Celmins painting? Timur Serebrykov, 28, who slashed Night Sky 2 because he didn’t like the painting, was sentenced yesterday to house arrest and ordered to pay $245,000 and wear an electronic monitoring device for 11 to 23 months. He may leave home only for appointments with his lawyer and doctor and to attend religious events. 500 hours of community service and four years probation are also part of Serebrykov’s arrangement. The museum paid $5,000 to repair the painting, and says it is worth $240,000 less than before because of the damage. I wonder if the painting’s estimated $1.2 million value takes into account the recent drop in art prices. (via AP)