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A 19-year-old visitor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was arrested this week after reportedly splashing water on two historic paintings and tearing tapestries off the wall during a disruptive episode inside the Upper East Side institution.
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According to reports by the NY Daily News and New York Post, the incident took place around 4:40 p.m. on Monday at the Met’s main location on Fifth Avenue at East 82nd Street. Police identified the suspect as Joshua Vavrin, of Texas, who was taken into custody and charged with criminal mischief.Witnesses told police Vavrin appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance when he doused two works — Princesse de Broglie by 19th-century French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Madonna and Child with Saints by 16th-century Italian painter Girolamo dai Libri. He also allegedly pulled down two historic tapestries during the outburst.
Each of the affected artworks sustained roughly $1,000 in damage, police told the Daily News, though the museum did not confirm those estimates.
A museum spokesperson said in a statement, “On Monday afternoon, a visitor at The Met displaying erratic behavior was escorted out of the museum. No individuals or works of art were harmed. We are grateful to our security staff and to the NYPD for ensuring the safety of The Met’s visitors, staff and collection.”
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