Rothko Vandal Vladimir Umamets: Deluded Wanker

 The Tate Modern is the proud owner of one of the largest collections of Rothkos in any single art gallery. This is thanks to the artist's donation of a series of murals that were originally intended to be displayed in a restaurant in the Seagram Building in New York

 Yesterday  astonished witnesses watched saw ta man in his late 20s, calmly walk up to Black On Maroon (1958) and scrawl a graffiti message in black marker pen or paint yesterday afternoon.

The graffiti reads: “Vladimir Umanets, A Potential Piece of Yellowism.”

Vladimir Umamets, who is originally from Russia, admitted today that he had written on the painting, but insisted his aim was not to destroy or deface it.

 "Some people think I'm crazy or a vandal, but my intention was not to destroy or decrease the value, or to go crazy. I am not a vandal," he said.

Umamets the founder of something called "Yellowism "I don't need to be famous, I don't want money, I don't want fame, I'm not seeking seeking attention....I believe that from everything bad there's always a good outcome so I'm prepared for that but obviously I don't want to spend a few months, even a few weeks, in jail. But I do strongly believe in what I am doing, I have dedicated my life to this."  He also said he feels he may have increased the value.

 

The Tate’s conservationists are currently assessing the damage.Julia Nagle, a painting conservator, suggested the painting was not ruined forever. "I have every faith it will be cleaned off. They're delicate surfaces and it's important not to rub them but there's a massive body of research into Rothko and his techniques and a great conservation department at the Tate.  "I've no doubt they will manage to take it off."

Umanets said yellowism was "an element of contemporary visual culture" and not an artistic movement. It's not art, it's not reality, it's just Yellowism," he said. "It can't be presented in a gallery of art, it can be presented only in a Yellowistic chambers.The main difference between Yellowism and art is that in art you have got freedom of interpretation, in Yellowism you don't have freedom of interpretation, everything is about Yellowism, that's it. I am a Yellowist. I believe what I am doing and I want people to start talking about this. It was like a platform. Maybe I would like to point people's attention on what it's all about, what is Yellowism, what is art? It's good people are shocked about what happened. No-one is realising what actually happened, everyone is just posting that the piece has been damaged or destroyed or defaced. But I believe that after a few years they will start looking for it from the right angle. So that's why I did it."

Yellowism?What gives him the right to deface a great piece of art? What he did was not an artistic statement it was an act of vandalism that could potentially have ruuied a magnificent piece of art.

Umamets comes over as an utter arsehole. I doubt that his artistic defence will cut any ice when he faces his day in court. erhaps he should pay for the restoration, the wanker.