You may or may not be a fan of abstract art but destroying another person's work, that others spend time enjoying is a shit thing to do. Period.

I have no art education whatsoever. I have only life education - the kind that comes from growing older, and losing loved ones, and experiencing joy and pain and tragedy. And when I walked into the room housing Mark Rothko's Seagram Murals last summer, it seemed to me that he'd captured all the emotions of my lifetime on his canvas. And I started weeping. I wasn't even unhappy when I went in, I was just struck by the emotion he was trying to communicate to me. This, to me, is art. My husband didn't feel the same way, and that is fine. But for me, I will never forget the way Rothko's deceptively simply work communicated to me across time and without words or recognizable images. It was pure human feeling, distilled onto canvass. My profound thanks to the people who worked so hard to restore it.

That Spanish granny could handle this one in ten minutes

I remember once in high school that a bully destroyed one of my sketchbooks. I'm a nobody and they were just sketches but I remember being absolutely devastated. It's not about how it looks like who it belongs to, when you put your heart and soul into something it's like you yourself have been assaulted.

Well.. I would have died of Performance anxiety 100 times over... The confidence of a restorations artist must be incredible!

Can we just talk about those poignant moments after the painting was taken away after her work was done.. She poured so much of herself into her work that she was left totally lost and having to almost reboot her consciousness after focusing so fiercely on her work. Powerful.

I personally am not a fan of this specific type of art but I can appreciate and respect the effort for conservation of the artists work.

I’m so glad Tate allowed the filming of the whole procedure. Rachel Barker’s dedication and skills are astounding. Fantastic work.

If you don't like Rothko, that's absolutely fine. Art is about opinions and you don't have to like everything. But opinions are personal and while someone might dislike something, it gives them no right to destroy it. Talk about your opinions, and it'll give you a good conversation. But destroying something out of nothing but spite is selfish and spreads unhappiness through other people. That's why the vandalism here was terrible: not because Rothko should be revered above anyone else, but because of the selfishness of the act.

The amount of art and science and labor that went into fixing this assault is breathtaking. From now on, I will always try to pay full price at "suggested donation" public museums. Thank you for employing such an incredible group of technicians, Tate museum, and for keeping such an important array of skills alive.

It was a great honor to be part of the restoration with the Hirox Microscope. We hope to help further the Museum Community to keep artworks in the best conditions for the future generations.

The reverence with which these conservators treat artworks is a more spiritual experience than I’ve ever found in a church.

It's like I'm watching real life Photoshop. I don't care much for his work but I still found this pretty cool.

I love at 11:26 that there is a blanket with the words "ROTHKO UNDERNEATH!". What a weird situation.

Respect, i was waiting for a video like this for 2 years now hoping that the painting would come to public display again. I am blown away by the level of skill and passion that has gone into this project. Good job.

I am someone who enjoys abstract art, but I never understood Rothko’s work until I saw one of his paintings ‘in person,” as it were. The pieces have to be experienced first hand. My deepest appreciation and thanks to these remarkable women for their skill and tenacity.

I was fortunate enough to catch the Rothko room at the Tate Modern, it's about as close as I've come to a religious experience. Say what you will about the pretense of the modernists they sure made some spicy works. So glad there are people out there keeping entropy from eating everything

Vandal - ‘HA! I don’t like this artwork; I’m going to destroy it with permanent ink! What are you gonna do about it?!’ Conservator - ‘Hold my turpentine...’

Filmed over 18 months, the story behind the restoration of Mark Rothko's 'Black on Maroon'. Mark Rothko's 'Black on Maroon' 1958 goes back on public view at Tate Modern on 13 May 2014, following 18 months of intensive work by the Conservation team and colleagues across Tate. The painting, one of the iconic Seagram murals which Rothko donated to Tate in 1970, was vandalised with graffiti ink in October 2012. It has since been the subject of detailed research and restoration by the core treatment team of Rachel Barker, Bronwyn Ormsby and Patricia Smithen.

I’m an artist and I find this process so extraordinary. From the disgusting low of someone defacing treasured Art, to the extraordinary dedication of conservators who give their all to save it. I hope if one of mine ever needs this care that it will come into the hands of conservators so talented and so dedicated. Bravo - truly.

This kind of art is not really my cup of tea but I do not think that it's right for someone to vandalize another persons work. The amount of time and skill that went into trying to clean up this mess up is just mind blowing. The ladies trying to think outside the box to get the ink out...amazing. True masters of their field.

Thank you for sharing this process freely and well done to the TATE and the restorers. Regardless of ones personal opinion of the work of Rothko it has taken it's place in the history of art and needs protecting. Also I'm very pleased that you give no acknowledgment or profile to the vandal.

This is a wonderful film. I really congratulate the women who worked so tirelessly to restore this work. Fantastic work.

Rothko didn't varnish his paintings, and he used quite a wide range of materials. It's no surprise that his works are fragile and vulnerable. In the end, one has to wonder if he was really terribly concerned about the permanence of his work. If he wasn't very concerned, should we be?

Regardless of whether or not it’s considered “Good Art,” Rothko was a pioneer in the art community in his time. He created something minimalist and abstract in a time where realism was the expectation and the norm. It may not be what you enjoy, but it’s evidence that no matter how you do what you do, it’s possible to be successful and respected. Great piece of art, thanks to the TATE for taking the time and effort to restore it.

I went to the Tate recently on my trip to London a few months ago during Christmas and I saw the Rothko's and I had no idea about the horrible vandalism that happened to this piece

Wow how sad to see a piece of art damaged in that way. I'm glad you were able to restore it after countless hours of hard work. Good job!

Thank goodness! Congratulations to all involved. Fantastic job, beautifully documented. Heart-warming start to the day.

Thank you all for taking care and so much of efforts to restore. Love you.

I love when people say "I could've done that" because it's so fun to clap back with a "but you didn't did you?"

This is magical to restore,to bring back to life as the Rothko remains spreading its magic. Thanks for sharing!

Great job. Very inspiring. Thank you all for restoring the painting.

This is wonderful. This room at Tate Modern is one of my favourite places in London and I confess to having been pretty upset when I heard of the vandalism. Thanks to everyone involved and also for sharing the background to the restoration, making something fascinating out of the mindless destruction by a pretentious loser.

I really love this video. For me, is the best video that ever made concerning the restoration about the Rothko ' s masterpieces . Thanks for share it . It ' s really amazing ... this profession (my future profession) is thrilling. my respect

This is a truly emotional programme. Just like his Art. Huge Kudos to the restorers.I Had the pleasure of seeing these paintings in the tate in the early 80's, with my Mother, who had to leave the room due to the immense emotional impact that they caused her to experience.

Rothko is definitely one of those artists who improve upon seeing in person, his canvases shimmer, I am personally a big fan.

More than art and science. Extraordinary.

I don't "get" Rothko's work. To me it's just red and black paint on canvas. But the defacing of it was still atrocious, and it was well worth the time of this conservation/restoration team. And look. say what you will about the nature of the modern arts industry (it's a hive of pretentious, fart huffing nepotists if you ask me), but art is simply an expression that draws an emotional reaction from you. In this case, y'all are getting pretty angry about Rothko's paintings. So it did its job as art. Painting like this aren't the sort I'd be buying to decorate my home with, but they're the kind that I think are worth seeing and learning a bit about. Maybe you'll discover some deeper meaning or personal connection to the art. Maybe you'll just learn that art like this isn't your cup of tea. There's entire museums dedicated to classical realism. Why not some for modern, abstract, and absurdist art? If you don't like it, you aren't forced to go to those museums (unless you're an art student, in which case you're gonna see a lot of art you hate. good luck) after all.

Fascinating! Thanks for posting this! And, congratulations on a dedicated job!

well done to the Tate team for such an amazing job, as well as showing us the process, the difficulties encountered. This is fascinating.

art is pure expression. someone might think depression feels like a black dot. and therefore that dot becomes a valid form of expression. if the artist did not consent to anyone else's manipulation of that black dot. then that black dot is almost censored. it's like burning a book. so yeah, that's a lot of money towards something that might seem meaningless. but it does change history and how we think. Art is a luxury no doubt but does affect the thinking and history of the luxurious western society that we live in.

There was more artistry and thought put into the restoration than the piece itself.

Well done! That was truly an heroic effort! ❤ Thank you.

This so amazing to watch the process, painstaking, but amazing. I love Rothko works, that feeling of being consumed is incredible.

As a chemist I never knew the science behind this was so complex, nice :o

As an artist, I feel morally ticked and offended that someone would deface someone's work because they put their time and effort in it but as someone who also feels like "it's all just art, man" .. I also can't help to feel like we place WAY TOO much value in the livelihood of people. Art is to be appreciated and respected but maybe...we shouldn't worship it.

Absolutely amazing work. So perceive, delicate, and methodical. The slow work was well worth it.

Great team, hard research, huge work, and positive doubts all the way... Respect for these people and their skills.

The dedication these people have is amazing, and the depth of their love for art is incredible....but when I hear them saying things like mystifying or beautiful, and I see the painting they're referring to, it really makes me wonder how it could be that humans are so different in what they perceive beauty and how they attribute worth to something, and to what extent. Im glad they lucked out that he defaced a corner and didnt splash ink on the whole thing.

in 5 minutes the restorers painted a canvas that didnt look too different than his work.

On 7 October 2012 another work from the same series, also titled Black on Maroon, was defaced with writing in black paint.[3] The perpetrator told the BBC "I'm not a vandal" and compared himself with surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp, adding "Art allows us to take what someone's done and put a new message on it." It was later revealed that the man was Polish national Wlodzimierz Umaniec. His addition to the painting had included his name and the number 12, followed by the sentence: "a potential piece of yellowism".[4] The following day Umaniec was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.[5] During the trial, prosecutor Gregor McKinley said the repair would cost £200,000.[1] On 13 December 2012 Umaniec was jailed for two years at Inner London Crown Court, where Judge Roger Chapple told him that his actions had been, "entirely deliberate, planned and intentional". Talking about "yellowism" Judge Chapple added that it was "wholly and utterly unacceptable to promote it by damaging a work of art" which he called a "gift to the nation".[6] It was estimated that restoration of the painting might take up to 18 months to complete, with restorers having to source and apply the same range of materials employed by Rothko, which could include glue, synthetic resin and egg. The BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz explained that the ink from Umaniec's marker pen had bled all the way through the canvas, causing "a deep wound not a superficial graze" and that the vandal had caused "significant damage".[7] In order to work out how best to restore the painting conservators created a replica of the damaged work and tested various solvents.[1] In May 2014 the restored painting was returned to public display[1] and Umaniec offered a public apology, saying: "I apologise to [the] British people for what I did. I suppose I wanted to change the art world but of course I did it in a very, very wrong way. I spent almost a year and a half in prison and the British people have paid huge restoration costs, so it definitely wasn't worth doing it, and I'm sure the restoration team has done a wonderful job and I encourage everyone to see the restored picture."[8]

Fascinating the attention to detail used to ensure the painting was restored perfectly was so interesting to see & ensuring that the graffiti was removed without destroying the art piece underneath.

I'm loving the amount of women in control of this project.

Did he not varnish? I suspect he didn't, otherwise i doubt the ink would have been much of an issue.

I'm afraid to admit but I had never heard of Rothko before viewing this documentary. I do remember hearing of the damage done to a significant painting at the Tate at the time it occurred. I feel that this (I'm never sure what to call the youtube ?videos /?documentaries / ? clips) was an excellent and very informative '? Video?' documentation of the incredible world of conservation and repair of paintings. I know that every painter has such a wide range of techniques and materials to utilize resulting in the need for so many differences in restoration techniques. I thank the Tate for showing me the way this restoration was done including all the techniques and collaborations and workmanship that was involved. Thankyou so much.

Outstanding work! Was very emotional to watch

Sooooo sad this happened to a Rothko, his works are amazing.tate team are soo talented!

Somebody who has seen a Rothko in person answer this; do the paintings really start pulsing when you look at them? Eventually, I'm going to the Rothko Chapel so I can see for myself.

People who destroy art exhibitions ruin things for the rest of us. I'm an artist and I love the ability to go close to works of art and fully enjoy and view the pieces. I don't care much about this type of artwork but don't go ruining things for other people.

Beautiful work and effort. This makes me happy to know that human beings are capable of this kind of story.

I think the general problem that people have with art like this is that they feel that the general consensus is based around the opinions of a few, or even one influential person and it ends up spreading like wildfire. I imagine that, "Well this person said it's good so it must be, whether I'm educated enough to understand it or not" is a very common thought in situations like that, and the waterfall effect is not to be underestimated. I tend to agree on that subject. I think our society has become almost completely based around that philosophy. What somebody more hip than me says is hip must be hip. It spirals out of control in some cases that can be pretty glaring at times, such as TV and pop culture in general.

as an artist I find this all a bit silly and I think Rothko would too, but I appreciate their passion

The passion those people have... It inspires me

Hats off to everyone involved with this restoration that was nerve wracking just to watch

Do you think Rothko might have felt as DuChamp did when the Large Glass was accidentally broken? Feeling as if it was now complete? No. I don't either. 2 years in prison? Not equal punishment. Allow me to tattoo his forehead.

The fact they are probably spending more time restoring the painting and fixing it, than what it actually took to paint it, is kinda funny

The restoration process is so delicate and refined, yes, unless you show them public may not be able to locate the scars. But those who are ardent fans,who have viewed the art deeply surely will feel that energy, each painting has a story to tell..

I remember doing a master copy for my oil painting class during college and it’s so difficult, I believe doing this is even worse because you are working on top of the original trying to replicate it

"works by such abstract artists as Paul Klee, Joan Miro, Pollock and Mark Rothko were relatively easy to forge"- NYTimes. A 75 year old Chinese immigrant was able to fake works by such artists as pollock and rothko for 15 years without getting caught. The man was an expert in traditional portraits, had no knowledge of the abstract artists techniques, but chose the more simplistic styles because they were the easiest to fake without getting caught for a long period of time. He painted the fakes for a reported $500-$7k a piece. His handlers then sold the works to the prestigious Knoedler & Co NY , which had been selling art for 150 years, for$30 million. Knoedler then sold them to collectors for about $80 million. They are now out of business and facing multiple lawsuits because of the incident. Rothko had absolutely no drawing, painting, or art training in general until his 20's so his techniques as well as his paintings are simple to say the least.

Rothko makes Warhol look like Vermeer

Rachel and Bronwyn should have their own show. Their skill and dedication to their craft is heart wrenching, in the best possible way. 💙

I think its a breath of fresh air seeing that nothing ist safe. Its shocking what happend but now it is a part of this painting forever. Even if there are small particles left.

I would like to own a Rothko more than any other painting

People will always say "Horizontal red lines on black? That's not art, anyone could do that!" To which I say, "Well, then why DON'T you?"

Love Rothko....always nice to see and hear Christopher.....Before I knew of him I happened to wonder into an empty gallery at a museum. I burst into tears almost immediately. His painting and my reaction was on my mind for weeks. Finally I took the time to find out about Mark Rothko. I think he would have been pleased at my experience of his work.

A testament to the vast possibilities when a person cares about their work/craft/talent/skill...their Legacy! Bravo Ladies!

This feels a lot like all the musicians who waxed poetically about the difference and depth of a Stradivarius violins. Lots of circle jerking about the indescribable flavor the aged wood brings to music. But none of them could tell the difference when compared to a regular violin. That's abstract art in a nutshell. When the lady showed her material tests, and the other lady was like "yeah but this one totally doesn't have art in it right???"

The reproduction at 2:38 is better than the original itself!

God that was amazing and very thrilling. Thanks so much for this amazing video. 💕🦄🖌️🖌️🖌️🖌️🖌️🖌️🖌️

It is a fantastic job - very interesting to get a glimpse of how it is done

The original painting just seems like some bars of color... :x Maybe I need to see all 9 together or maybe I just don't understand art. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Always down to learn. Edit: not trying to say that makes it okay to deface someone's work. Just that the original painting is being praised for this deep meaningful piece and I just don't get it.

what did he actually write??

one of the best videos Tate's ever made

i'll be on tenterhooks the whole time. OMG - a Rothko!!!! he's so special, so unique. a Rothko for cryin' out loud!! i can't fathom it. oh, please, can they fix it??!! 5:12 /// They Did It! amazing touch-up cause it was really very tricky and difficult. relief - it's his work again. thank goodness. What an incredible production to create this documentary! also, learning a hell of a lot about his technique - so cool ! thank you sooo much for uploading this fantastic video :)

-_- At this point I'm sure artists are just making who they want to make famous artist through connections rather than skill. ... On a side note. The Restoration team is beyond masters. Like holy hell why can't we just have a museum filled with restoration pieces.

First world problems. (Don't get me wrong, i too love Rothko's work.)

Who ever did this is a absolute mad lad

this was absolutely amazing to watch

I'mma be honest.... It's two maroon lines. I know art is abstract or objective, but... It's two maroon lines over black painted canvas.

1 day to paint, 18 months to restore

just being there on Nov 5th and what has been done is really miraculous! A great thank you to all experts who have devoted so much efforts, knowledge , perseverance and care

Big tanks , I live Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz. you are saving the big art piece. tank you again.

Baumgartner would’ve “restored” this in 1 day.

i get how incredibly important it is to restore paintings, but the restorators are all acting like they are working and looking at a mutulated corpse

formidable vidéo sur les recherches préalables à la restauration... Vraiment très intéressant !!!

I do love art but I do find SOME, arty people so pretentious

What kind of horrible human being would someone want to deface a Rothko?

I’ve been to the Rothko room a couple of times at the Tate and spent a while in the room and didn’t know this had happened! I’m sure most people don’t know about/don’t see any remnants of the vandalism so successful restoration indeed

My goal as an artist would be to have an artist like that restore your art, I think Rothko would have loved that.

why restore it? just paint another red square