Security officer destroys million dollar painting www.privateofficer.com

Security officer destroys million dollar painting http://www.privateofficer.com

Pittsburgh PA June 7 2008

BY: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/

He was hired to protect million dollar paintings but now the security guard has been arrested for destroying one that he just didn’t like.
The Carnegie Museum of Art said that a single painting worth $1.2 million received a large vertical gash in it alledgedly done by their security officer.
The painting called “Night Sky #12″ by 2008 Carnegie Prize-winning artist Vija Celmins — was destroyed, police said.
Museum officials said that after finding the damage they called police on May 20 to review the videotape and they discovered that a security guard had damaged the painting.
Timur Serebrykov, 27, of Greenfield was working as a security guard for Capital Asset Protection on May 16 in the Oakland gallery, police said. Museum surveillance footage showed him slicing the front of the painting, which is part of a series replicating stars, an arrest affidavit states.
Although he first denied doing it, he soon confessed when confronted with the videotape.
I did it with a key. … I didn’t like the painting. … I’m sorry,” Serebrykov told investigators.
Police said the museum did not release the tape, and a photograph of the painting was given to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
Betsy Momich, director of corporate communications for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, declined to comment in detail about the incident or the museum’s security measures.
“We realize something like this happening is the risk we take by displaying art publicly,” Momich said. “It’s an unfortunate incident.”
The painting is part of the Carnegie International “Life on Mars” 2008 exhibition.
Serebrykov was taken into custody and transported to the detention center where he was being held for court at a May 29 preliminary hearing and faces formal arraignment July 29 on a felony charge of institutional vandalism.
County jail officials said Serebrykov is no longer an inmate, but couldn’t provide bond information.
The security company that Serebrykov did not want to comment on their employee’s criminal actions but may be liable for the damages that he caused. There was no word from the musuem if they will seek those damages.

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