Summary Vladimir Umanets was held after visitors discovered a scrawl across bottom of a Rothko mural.
LONDON: A Polish man who defaced a Mark Rothko painting in London s Tate Modern gallery with black paint has been sentenced to two years in jail.
Wlodzimierz Umaniec, also known as Vladimir Umanets, was arrested after visitors discovered a scrawl across the bottom of a Rothko mural on Oct 7.
The 26-year-old later said he had written on the painting to draw attention to Yellowism, an artistic movement he co-founded.
He was sentenced Thursday at Inner London Crown Court. He had earlier pleaded guilty to criminal damage over 5,000 pounds ($8,000).
It s estimated restoring the painting will cost around 200,000 pounds ($320,000) and take up to 18 months.
Russian-born Rothko, who died in 1970, was a leading figure in American abstract painting, renowned for large-scale works featuring bold blocks of color.
